Hoatzin

 This is a Hoatzin!  Many people call them stink birds because they SMELL!  We're guessing that's why nobody eats them.  They have a blue face and  an orange/gold crest.  Their neck is dark brown, striped with white.  They have small wing muscles so they can't fly very well. Their wings are brown with a streak of brick red.  They live in South America in the Amazon Rain Forest.  

There is something very unique about their babies.  The babies develop claws on their wings.  Once the claws are developed the babies will start to walk on all fours like a Pteranodon.  After two to three weeks the claws disappear.  The babies are also very good at swimming.  This is important because if the babies accidentally fall off a branch into a river they can swim back to shore and climb back up the tree.  Some people think these birds lived in the age of the dinosaur so they are also called living fossils.  We think that might be a true theory.  These are magnificent birds!!  We are glad we know about them.