Northern hoatzin (SciiFii)

The northern hoatzin (Opisthocomus fragilus), sometimes nicknamed the "zebrabird", is a species of hoatzin that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the northern hoatzin is the southern hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) of South America. The northern hoatzin is pheasant-sized, with a total length of 65 centimetres (26 inches), and a long neck and small head. It has an unfeathered grey face with dull blue eyes, and its head is topped by a spiky, pale crest. The long, dark gray tail is a broadly tipped buff. The upper parts are dark, grey-edged buff on the wing coverts, and streaked buff on the mantle and nape. The under parts are buff, while the crissum (the undertail coverts surrounding the cloaca), primaries, underwing coverts and flanks are rich gray with white patterns, hence the nickname "zebrabird", but this is mainly visible when it opens its wings. The northern hoatzin is a herbivore, feeding primarily on leaves, fruits, seeds, and pinecones, and has an unusual digestive system with an enlarged crop used for fermentation of vegetable matter, in a manner broadly analogous to the digestive system of mammalian ruminants. The alternative name of "stinkbird" is derived from the bird's foul odour, which is caused by the fermentation of food in its digestive system. This is a noisy species, with a variety of hoarse calls, including groans, croaks, hisses and grunts. These calls are often associated with body movements, such as wing spreading. Northern hoatzins are seasonal breeders, breeding from late spring to early summer. Northern hoatzins are gregarious and nest in small colonies, laying three or four eggs in a stick nest in a tree hanging over water in seasonally flooded forests. The chicks, which are fed on regurgitated fermented food, have another odd feature; they have two claws on each wing. Immediately on hatching, they can use these claws, and their oversized feet, to scramble around the tree branches without falling into the water. When predators such as the red-tailed hawk attack a northern hoatzin nesting colony, the adults fly noisily about, trying to divert the predator's attention, while the chicks move away from the nest and hide among the thickets. If discovered, however, they drop into the water and swim under the surface to escape, then later use their clawed wings to climb back to the safety of the nest. The claws are its secondary adaptation from its frequent need to leave the nest and climb about in dense vines and trees well before it can fly. The conservation status of the northern hoatzinnis Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the northern hoatzin's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii