Opisthocomus hoazin
Silhouette: Warren H (photography), T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The hoatzin ( WAHT-sin, -seen; also HO-tsin and hoh-AT-sin) (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and Orinoco Basins in South America. It is the only extant species in the genus Opisthocomus which is the only extant genus in the family Opisthocomidae under the order Opisthocomiformes. Despite being the subject of intense debate by specialists, the taxonomic position of this family is still far from clear.
The hoatzin is notable for its chicks having primitive claws on two of their wing digits. It is unique among birds in possessing a digestive system that significantly supports the fermentation and the effective breakdown of plant matter, a trait more commonly known from herbivorous ungulate-ruminant mammals and some primates. This bird is also the national bird of Guyana, where the local name for this bird is Canje pheasant.
The hoatzin is pheasant-sized, with a total length of 65 cm (26 in), and a long neck and small head. It has an unfeathered, blue face with maroon eyes, and its head is topped by a spiky, rufous crest. The long, sooty-brown tail is bronze-green tipped with a broad,...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Madidi National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 5 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Madidi National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Hoatzin sighting in Madidi National Park on a given day, based on 136 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 239 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Hoatzin in Madidi National Park on a given day, against about 20% in February and May, the lowest months. That is one of Madidi National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 290 mm in February. March and December have too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hoatzin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Hoatzin sightings, Madidi National Park ranks 4th at about 40%. The best odds are in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (Ecuador, about 70%), Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, about 50%) and Manu National Park (Peru, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hoatzin is recorded against all the birds logged in Madidi National Park (136 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
