The Story
I photographed this Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) on the Orteguaza River at Puerto Arango, near Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, in February 2020. It was once thought to eat only the leaves of arums and mangroves, but it is now known to feed on more than 50 plant species. Its huge crop limits its flying. It nests in small colonies in trees over flooded forest, and its chicks can swim under water to escape and then climb back up with claws on their wings. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/320 sec, f/7.1, ISO 6400, −1 EV. From the Marco Polo ferry, on a two-hour trip along the Orteguaza River, passengers see the Hacha River flow into the Orteguaza and watch for birds.
©2022 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