I was always fascinated by the hoatzin because of it’s bizarre prehistoric wing claws and it’s
incredible bad smell! Got to tick it in the Amazonian
rainforest in Equador, nesting overhanging a little
lake called Limoncocha. I watched while a
chick which had fallen out of the nest, (they seem to do this with some
regularity) clawed it’s way back up the tree
trunk and back into the nest. What was more amazing was that it had fallen into
the lake, which also contained piranha and cayman.
Resilient little guy!
Tracey Newcombe
