267) Hoatzin

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Scientific name: Opisthocomus hoazin

Weight: 1.8 lb Length: 2-2.1 ft Wingspan:

Lives: South America (Amazon Basin beside rain-forest rivers)

 Diet: Flowers, fruits of tough plants (white and Aram mangrove), leaves,

Chicks: 2-5 

This type of bird has to be the most ancient living bird and their chicks have claws on their wings, showing their ancestry of reptiles. At two weeks old, chicks can't yet fly, but they can swim to avoid predators. At this age, chicks will start to feed themselves. During the breeding season, the Hoatzin flock will split into splinter groups. There can be 20-30 individuals in a foraging flock of Hoatzins. Because their food has aromatic oils, people called them "stink birds" (The Wildlife Year, 320).

 Because their food has aromatic oils, people called them "stink birds" (The Wildlife Year, 320)

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