Opisthocomidae
| Opisthocomids | |
|---|---|
| |
| Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Passerea |
| Order: | Opisthocomiformes L'Herminier, 1837 |
| Family: | Opisthocomidae Swainson, 1837 |
| Genera | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Opisthocomidae is a family of
Orinoco delta in South America. Several fossil species have been identified, including one from Africa[3] and one from Europe.[1]
Phylogeny
The phylogeny below is based on the work of Hughes & Baker 1999[4] and Mayr & De Pietri 2014.[1] Traditionally classified among the fowl-like birds (Galliformes), recent studies have favored Opisthocomidae's placement within the Neoaves.[4]
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Taxonomy
- Family Opisthocomidae Swainson 1837[5]
- Genus ?†ForoOlson 1992 (mid-Eocene, USA) - cuculiform?
- Species †Foro panarium Olson 1992
- Genus ?†Onychopteryx Cracraft 1971 (Early Eocene of Argentina) – falconid? A nomen dubium
- Species †Onychopteryx simpsoni Cracraft 1971
- Genus †Protoazin Mayr & De Pietri 2014 (late Eocene of France)
- Species †Protoazin parisiensisMayr & De Pietri 2014
- Species †
- Genus †Namibiavis Mourer-Chauviré 2003 (Middle Miocene of Namibia)
- Species †Namibiavis senutaeMourer-Chauviré 2003
- Species †
- Genus †Hoazinavis Alvarenga, Mayr & Mourer-Chauviré 2011 (Late Oligocene and Early Miocene of Brazil)
- Species †Hoazinavis lacustrisAlvarenga, Mayr & Mourer-Chauviré 2011
- Species †
- Genus †Hoazinoides Miller 1953 (middle Miocene of Colombia)
- Species †Hoazinoides magdalenaeMiller 1953
- Species †
- Genus OpisthocomusIlliger 1811
- Species Opisthocomus hoazin(Müller 1776) Illiger 1811 [Phasianus hoazin Müller 1776]
- Species
- Genus ?†
Description
The only living representative is the
Orinoco delta in South America.[1] Several fossil species have been identified, including one from Africa[3] and one from Europe.[1]
The
semi-precocial and leave the nest at about two to three weeks of age.[6] The adults feed them with semi-digested slimy mass from their crops, and the young are fed during the first four or five months of their life.[6] The young nestlings can jump out into the water, and swim with wings and feet, in order to escape predators at nest.[6]
Hoatzin embryos are known to develop very quickly compared to other birds.
The
tropical forested wetlands of 200 to 500 meters elevation.[3] The hoatzin is an arboreal species and is folivorous, feeding on leaves, flowers and fruits of a small number of plant species.[1][7] It has a large crop that uses bacteria to break down the leaves that it eats.[7] The hoatzin is unique because it has bacteria in its crop that breaks down its food while it is still in the crop.[8][9][10] This is a process called foregut fermentation.[7][11] It rarely drinks because its diet includes water.[7] The hoatzin is sedentary and widespread in suitable habitat. They are noisy birds, calling in unison, uttering large numbers of varied sounds.[6]
In addition to foregut fermentation, the hoatzin has a highly modified skeleton to accommodate its large crop, and in the young of this species, wing claws at the wrist joint which are used to climb among the branches of the nest tree.[4]
References
- ^ S2CID 253639154.
- PMID 32781465.
- ^ S2CID 24210185.)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ PMID 10486983.
- ^ Mikko's Phylogeny Archive [1] Haaramo, Mikko (2007). "Primitive Land-bird Assemblage". Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "DESCRIPTION FAMILY OPISTHOCOMIDAE".
- ^ a b c d e "Opisthocomidae - hoatzin | Wildlife Journal Junior". nhpbs.org. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
- PMID 18689523.
- S2CID 24874172.
- PMID 7815930.
- S2CID 21933528.
