Common Name: Hoatzin
Scientific Name: Opisthocomus hoazin

Distribution: The Amazon basin

Biology: The Hoatzin are truly a unique avian species; being unlike any other living species, the determination of the Hoatzin’s relationship to other bird families is one of the most puzzling of avian taxonomy. Although the true placement of the Hoatzin in the family tree of birds is still departed, it has been determined that it is the sole remaining species of an ancient, and once diverse, group of birds.
And the species do indeed look ancient: with their ruffled feathers, and big feet they certainly make the dinosaurian lineage of all birds clear.
The Hoatzin prefers riverside forest in the Amazon, and their chicks have claws on their wings, which they use to climb the riparian trees that the species nest in.
The Hoatzin is an obligated herbivore, feeding on the leaves of the rainforest trees, which are digested and fermented in their specialized gut, which is comparable to those found in ruminant mammals.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
The Hoatzin has a huge range over most of the Amazon Basin, and appear common in many places. They fill a ecological niche with very little competition, and can be found in most places where their preferred habitat is present.