Animals are Fascinating

[Rayaan]

These unique birds are considered a relic from the age of the dinosaurs. They represent the only living member of the family Opisthocomidae, and its close relatives probably died out long ago. These chicken-sized birds weigh less than a kilogram (2 lbs) and have a body length of 61-66 cm (24-26 inches). Their heads are almost bare with a red crest on top and blue flesh around their red eyes. They have olive streaks on the back of their necks and off-white throats and breasts. Their tail feathers are black with lighter tips. The rest of their bodies are chestnut colored.

The Hoatzin is strictly vegetarian, eating the leaves, flowers and fruits of more than 50 species of marshland plants. Hoatzins are very strange among birds, though, because they ferment this vegetable matter in their foregut like cows, sheep, deer and kangaroos, and thus have a specialized digestive system. Nestlings are fed this regurgitated matter. Hoatzins forage in the early morning and early evening, and spend much of the time roosting quietly and digesting their meal.

More facts about the Hoatzin:
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-hoatzin.html
http://www.saveamericasforests.org/Yasun...atzin.html