Hoatzins
by James Brunker
Title
Hoatzins
Artist
James Brunker
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) is the only member of its family and is found in swamps and rainforests of the Amazon. It is a very unusual species, it eats only leaves and has a stomach system similar to that of a cow and full of bacteria to break down the celulose. This extra weight means it is a poor flier and the bacteria also give off a nasty smell, making it unattractive to predators. Young birds have claws on their wing joints which they use to climb tree branches until their wings are strong enough for flight.
Photograph © James Brunker. Reproduction, publication, transmission or use in any form without written permission prohibited.
Uploaded
November 23rd, 2011
Statistics
Viewed 885 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 03/27/2024 at 4:23 PM
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Comments (11)
Pat Goltz 29 Days Ago
These are fascinating and amazing birds! Such a wonderful opportunity and excellent photo!
Don Columbus
Congratulations, your work is Featured in "A Birding Group - Wings" I invite you to place it in the group's "2020-2021 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!! L
James Brunker replied:
Many thanks for featuring this image in the "A Birding Group - Wings" group Don!
William Tasker
Fascinating birds and description. Beautiful catch, James. I'm proud to exhibit this named bird image among the features for the group, Wild Birds Of The World - A Nature Photography Group. L/F
Sharon Mau
. . beautiful photography James . . they are so primitive and very unusual . love their crest and red eyes . the first I have seen of these fascinating birds . . your comment is interesting how the young have a claw on the wing joint . . how large are they . http://fineartamerica.com/groups/dimensions.html http://fineartamerica.com/groups/birds-of-the-world.html http://fineartamerica.com/groups/greeting-cards.html
James Brunker replied:
Thank you Sharon! They're quite big, Wikipedia says 65cm / 26 inches, and make a strange loud wheezing hissing sound most of the time, not very birdlike!