Somewhere in far-reaching South Africa there lives a fantastic bird Hoatzin. This nice birdie has a very noticeable appearance thanks to its unusual pheasant-like crest.

As a rule, these birds are about 66 cm long and weigh approximately 816 grams. So they look like a normal average chicken but with large wings and a very small head. Hoatzins have black tails, red eyes with a large bright blue area around them, and a bare head.

Sometimes these birds are called “flying cows” because they are very clumsy in the air and prefer a rather unusual diet – they are sort of “vegetarian” animals, they only eat plants, flowers, and some fruits. The first official and long description of Hoatzin was made by German zoologist Statius Muller in 1776.

Hoatzins are not an easy nuts to crack, they can defend themselves by producing really disgusting odor and with the help of sharp claws. Also young birds can hide under the water. But adults can’t swim at all

Hoatzins are very special birds. They were even named the national bird of Guyana.