It measures 8 to 10 cm and weighs 12 to 13 g. It has a short black bill with a curved top, brown irises and gray-blue orbital skin. The male is black from the forehead to the nape with yellow dots on the crown and white behind. It has a white loreal region, chestnut brown ear coverts sometimes streaked with white, a grayish-brown neck, grayish-brown occiput and olive-stained upper parts. Its coverts have yellowish-green margins, the upper surface of its tail is dark brown and in the central pair of feathers it has striations on the internal margins. Malar region, cheeks, chin and throat whitish with black dots. The rest of its lower parts are whitish at times with very fine greyish striations. The female is distinguished because she has white dots on the head. Young people are more opaque and darker than adults.
Getting outside and being in nature can provide a boost to both our mental and physical well-being. There’s been a lot written about maintaining our mental health while in this time of social isolation. Birding or bird-watching is a great way to connect with nature and for at least a moment stop thinking about COVID-19. Birding gets you outdoors and can be done wherever you live. Birding is also great to do with kids, and kids with a little direction can be extremely observant particularly given their better eyes and ears than many of their caregivers. Learning about birds helps to keep us active and to develop observational skills. It also helps us to realize the beauty and intrigue that is right in front of us. We may be at home, but we are not alone. We are sharing our space with lots of other organisms and as a group, birds are some of the most visible and vocal cohabitants sharing our space.
The Hoatzin also called Chenchena (in the Colombian Llanos), pava serere (in Bolivia), shansho (in Peru), guacharaca de agua (in Venezuela), or pava hedionda (in Colombia), it is a species of opistocomiform bird, the only representative of the genus Opisthocomus and of the family Opisthocomidae. No subspecies are known. The word Opisthocomus comes from the Greek opisthe, «behind» and komes, «hair» It is a peculiar tropical bird that inhabits the swampy areas that surround the Amazon and Orinoco rivers in South America.
