south america – today's bird

the hoatzin, also known as the ‘stink chicken’ or ‘skunkbird’ is a pheasant-sized bird native to the rainforests of south america. with many bizarre and un-birdlike traits, the hoatzin is often compared to reptiles. young hoatzins are born with two claws on their wings that assist them to climb in the rainforest (the claws eventually fall off). hoatzins have a bare face and large crest resembling a mohawk. the hoatzin earned their strange nicknames from their process of fermenting food inside their overly large crop, which makes them smell unpleasant.

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though they are the closest relative of the north american wild turkey, the ocellated turkey looks wildly different in appearance, and while still being a large bird, is much smaller. this turkey is found only in a small range of mexico and an even tinier portion of south america. both males and females have a distinctive blue head and bright feathers with a metallic sheen. ocellated turkeys feed off of fruits, plant matter, and insects, and forage on the ground in flocks. at night they roost in trees to avoid predators such as jaguars, but spend the majority of their time on the ground.

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although vultures are often stereotyped as cunning and menacing, most species of vulture rarely hunt, and clean up carcasses. many of them have learned to follow along roads and visit landfills due to the high amount of carrion. the black vulture is found from the united states to south america. when they do occasionally feed off sources other than dead animals, it is typically small & injured mammals, or bird eggs.

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the great thrush is native to south america, and is the largest thrush species on the continent, related to the common american robin. the great thrush is an omnivore and typically eats small fruits and berries whole, but also eats insects and even occasionally eggs and nestlings. while males and females can be hard to distinguish, males’ beaks and legs are typically brighter colored.

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the black-legged seriema is one of two living members of the seriema family (the other being the red-legged seriema). both are native to south america, but the black-legged species is more arboreal and spends more time exploring in the trees. seriemas are omnivorous, and mainly prey on small rodents, birds, and reptiles. they have a large curved claw that is used both to climb trees and cut prey.

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the red-legged seriema is native to south america. once believed to be related to cranes due to their disproportionately long legs, they are actually closer to falcons, parrots, and the now-extinct terror birds. they are occasionally used as guard birds for poultry. they kill prey such as snakes by picking them up and throwing them repeatedly against the ground.

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the capuchinbird is a bird found in humid forests in northeastern south america. the capuchinbird is a member of the cotinga family, but is unusual in that it has a bald head, similar to that of a vulture. they feed mainly off of insects and fruit.

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the keel-billed toucan is native to south america, and is one of the largest toucans, with one of the most colorful bills in the family. they are also one of the most well-known toucan species, with many depictions in pop culture. despite their large bills which are threatening in appearance, toucans only occasionally eat meat, and tend to prefer a diet of fruit.

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the guianan toucanet is a small species of toucan found in the amazon rainforest, recognizable by the bright red splash on their beak. toucanets are smaller members of the toucan family, with noticeably smaller beak to body ratios than birds like the toco toucan.

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the toco toucan is the world’s largest species of toucan, native to south america. it’s large beak is actually very light, and is made up of hollow bone and keratin. the toco toucan’s beak makes up around half of the bird’s body size. this extraordinarily large beak is used to collect multiple fruits without having to reach to grab them, as well as being able to access foods other birds can’t.

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