#stinkbird

What’s one bird famous for its foul smell? Meet the Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)! It’s the only bird known to have a form of digestion called foregut fermentation, in which bacteria help to break down the cell walls of leaves, its main source of food. This ability comes with a price, though. As bacteria is released, the Hoatzin bleches out methane. The burps have a manure-like odor that inspired this species nickname: “the stinkbird!”

Weaponized Stink Birds! Did you know that hoopoes use defensive stink, like little skunks of the bird world? 🪶 Come check our our hoopoe art,

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Species: Hoatzin Location: Napo Wildlife Center, Ecuador Story Behind the Shot: Having only seen the Hoatzin in photographs, Gertsman was eager to see one of the eye-catching tropical birds in real life during a workshop for young conservation photographers in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It didn’t take long to see the odd, prehistoric-looking species known for pungent belches (a characteristic that has earned it the nickname “stinkbird”). Gertsman quickly grew accustomed to its loud squawking along rivers and lagoons, and snapped this photo of a Hoatzin family while out for a walk in the rainforest early one morning.

Photo of the Day - The Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a pheasant-sized bird that is the only member of its order. Juveniles baffle the mind with the adaptation of claws on their wings – the only extant thing like it in the avian world! They jump from their nests under threat of predators, and use their claws to climb to the nest once the threat is gone. INSANE!

Hoatzin (AKA the Stinkbird)