The only slow-moving chicken in the world that has claws and flies like a fruit-eating bird

The clawed chicken is the last remaining member of an ancient bird lineage that branched off in its own direction 64 million years ago , shortly after the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

Found in the Amazon and Orinoco in South America, the hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) is considered the world’s most mysterious bird.

Fingered chickens have long necks and small heads. They have a hairless green face with hazel eyes and a feathery crest on the top of their head.

The top of the chicken’s body is dark gray, the underside of the body is pale, the flight feathers on the outside of the wings are brown, and the tail is long gray with a white tip.

Juveniles have two claws on each wing. As soon as they hatch, they can use these claws and feet to crawl around tree branches

When predators such as large black hawks attack the nesting area, the adult chicks will fly noisily around to distract the predator, while the young leave the nest and hide in the bushes. tree

They can swim underwater to escape danger, then use their clawed wings to climb back to safety.

The claws on the chick’s wings bear a remarkable resemblance to those of Archeopteryx, an ancient bird known only from fossils.

However, it has also been hypothesized that the claws of clawed chickens are of more recent origin and may have evolved from the birds’ need to frequently leave the nest and climb vines and dense vegetation. young.

In 2015, a genetic study showed that the clawed chicken is the last remaining member of an ancient bird lineage that branched off in its own direction 64 million years ago, shortly after the species’ mass extinction. dinosaur.

They are classified in the order Opisthocomiformes, the closest relatives of clawed chickens may be the order Chicken or the order Cuckoo.

Chickens live in flocks and nest in small flocks. Their food is mainly leaves, sometimes flowers and fruits

The digestive system of clawed chickens is unique among birds . They contain special bacteria in the anterior part of their intestines to break down and ferment the plant material they swallow, just like cattle and ruminants.