The Story
I photographed this Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) from the Ferry Marcopolo on the Orteguaza River at Puerto Arango, near Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, in February 2021. It is a noisy bird, with groans, croaks, hisses and grunts, often given while it spreads its wings. Its genus name, Opisthocomus, means long hair behind in Greek, after its crest. It was once thought to eat the leaves of only arums and mangroves, but it is now known to eat the leaves of more than 50 plant species. It breeds in the rainy season, whose timing varies across its range. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/350 sec, f/8, ISO 1600, −0.5 EV. Florencia, the capital of Caquetá, is known as the golden gateway to the Colombian Amazon and was founded on December 25, 1902.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) belongs to the family Opisthocomidae (Hoatzin) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List