# Hoatzin (*Opisthocomus hoazin*)

The hoatzin (*Opisthocomus hoazin*) is a bird of the family Opisthocomidae, in the order Opisthocomiformes.

> The hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a pheasant-sized bird of the Amazon and Orinoco basins with a spiky crest, blue facial skin and red eyes. It is the only bird that digests leaves by fermenting them in its crop, which gives it a musty smell and the nickname 'stinkbird'. Its chicks have claws on their wings for climbing. It is the national bird of Guyana and is listed as Least Concern.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN-style):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Swamps and riverside forest of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/hoatzin/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Opisthocomiformes
- **Family:** Opisthocomidae
- **Genus:** Opisthocomus

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Opisthocomus hoazin |
| Other name | Stinkbird |
| Diet | Leaves, buds and flowers of marsh and riverside plants |
| Habitat | Swamps, oxbow lakes and riverside forest |
| Length | 61–66 cm (24–26 in) |
| Weight | Average about 700 g |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2024) |

## A bird in its own order

The hoatzin has no close living relatives. It is the only member of its family and order, Opisthocomiformes. Adults are chestnut and buff with a long bronze-green tail tipped white, a loose crest of reddish feathers, bare blue skin around red eyes.

## A cow-like stomach

Hoatzins eat leaves. Bacteria in the enlarged crop ferment the tough plant material, much as in a cow's rumen. The process produces a smell like fresh manure, and the heavy crop makes them clumsy fliers that spend much of the day resting.

## Clawed chicks

Hoatzins nest over water. Young chicks have two functional claws on each wing. When a predator approaches, they drop into the water, swim away and then use their wing claws to climb back up into the branches.

## Status

BirdLife International lists the hoatzin as Least Concern (2024); the population size is unknown and thought to be decreasing. Because of its smell and taste, it is rarely hunted.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is the hoatzin called a stinkbird?

It ferments leaves in its crop, and the bacteria involved give the bird a smell like manure.

### Do hoatzins have claws on their wings?

Only as chicks. Young hoatzins use two claws on each wing to climb through branches; the claws are lost as they grow.

### Where do hoatzins live?

In swamps and riverside forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America.

### What is the national bird of Guyana?

The hoatzin, known locally as the Canje pheasant.

## Sources

- [BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Hoatzin Opisthocomus hoazin. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/hoatzin-opisthocomus-hoazin)
- [Animal Diversity Web: Opisthocomus hoazin. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Opisthocomus_hoazin/)
- Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898
- [Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/)

## Help protect the Hoatzin

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/hoatzin/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.