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Glite Dictionary
hoatzin

hoatzin

1 9.9
A South American bird with a crest, a strong smell, and claws on its chicks' wings
  • noun
  • /hoʊˈætsɪn/
: hoatzin
  • The hoatzin is known for its distinctive smell, which can be quite off-putting to some observers.
  • foregut fermentation in hoatzins
  • fermentation in hoatzins
  • young hoatzins

Examples

  • Young hoatzins are unique among birds because they have claws on their wings that help them climb.

  • Bizarre in habits as well as appearance, hoatzins are one of only a few species of birds that subsist largely on leaves.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Before we started studying the hoatzin, we were aware of the basic design of its gut.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Some of our hoatzin study populations have disappeared as the surrounding forest was cut.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Bizarre in appearance and diet, the hoatzin may well be the world's oddest bird.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The direst threat to hoatzins comes not from their natural predators but from human activity.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Yet, the one-and-a-half-pound hoatzin manages to subsist on just such a diet.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Although adept at digesting leaves, hoatzins prefer buds and soft new shoots.

    Academic text (1992)

  • If threatened, young hoatzins use their extraordinary wing claws to climb to the outer limbs of their nest branch.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Tropical legume trees, such as acacias, are special favorites, and the hoatzins search out these delicacies.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

Opisthocomus hoazin
vshoatzin
  • Specialized
9.9

A South American bird with a crest and a strong smell whose young have claws on their wing fingers

is the common neutral name for the same species
stinkbird
vshoatzin
  • US
9.9

A South American bird with a crest and a strong bad smell whose young have claws on their wings

is the neutral species name rather than a colloquial label
hoactzin
vshoatzin
  • Specialized
9.9

A South American crested bird with a strong smell whose chicks climb using wing claws

is the standard modern spelling used widely today

Surface Forms

hoatzin singular
hoatzins plural

Etymology

Hoatzin comes from a native South American name, often written huacín or hoazin, that reached English through Spanish or Portuguese; it was the local name for this strange Amazon bird. A helpful way to remember hoatzin is to think of the 'stinkbird' of the forest — its strong smell and the clawed fingers on its chicks make the name easy to link to the animal.