HOATZIN, a tropical South American bird, Opisthocomu: hoatzin, remarkable for the keel, only developed on the posterior part of the sternum ; for a very capacious crop resembling gizzard, and for the claws on the young birds' wings.
Appearing about the size of a small pheasant, though actually much smaller, the hoatzin has a strong, curiously denticulatec beak; prominent eyelashes set in a bare space round the eye; a long pendant crest of yellow feathers; and an olive body varied with white ; below it is dull bay. The wings are short, the tail long and tipped with yellow. The legs are short, the claws long. It lives in bands, feeding on leaves and fruits. On account of its strong smell, it is called the "stink-bird" in British Guiana. The nest is built of sticks in some tree and contains three or four yellowish-white eggs, blotched with red. The young have well-developed claws on the first and second fingers of the wing, with which they can climb ; they can also swim.
See H. W. Bates, Naturalist on the River Amazon; C. W. Beebe, Naturalist in Guiana.