---
title: "Hoatzin"
description: "Opisthocomus hoazin — Vogels. The hoatzin ( WAHT-sin, -⁠seen; also HO-tsin and hoh-AT-sin) (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and Orinoco Basins in South America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/hoatzin
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Hoatzin

> Opisthocomus hoazin — Vogels. The hoatzin ( WAHT-sin, -⁠seen; also  HO-tsin and  hoh-AT-sin) (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and Orinoco Basins in South America.

- Scientific name: *Opisthocomus hoazin*
- Category: `birds` (Vogels)
- Habitats: `forest` (Bos), `freshwater` (Meren en rivieren), `jungle` (Jungle)
- iNaturalist observations: 4341
- Wikidata: [Q188660](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q188660)
- iNaturalist taxon: [1626](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1626)

## Names

- en: Hoatzin
- de: Hoatzin
- es: Hoatzín
- fr: Hoazin huppé
- nl: Hoatzin
- pt: Jacu-cigano
- pl: Hoacyn

## Countries with the most observations

EC (1338), PE (1312), CO (553), BR (433), BO (377), GY (87), VE (51), GF (20), SR (4)

## Summary

The hoatzin ( WAHT-sin, -⁠seen; also  HO-tsin and  hoh-AT-sin) (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and Orinoco Basins in South America. It is the only extant species in the genus Opisthocomus which is the only extant genus in the family Opisthocomidae under the order Opisthocomiformes. Despite being the subject of intense debate by specialists, the taxonomic position of this family is still far from clear.
The hoatzin is notable for its chicks having primitive claws on two of their wing digits. It is unique among birds in possessing a digestive…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoatzin

## Photo

![Hoatzin](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/hoatzin/medium.jpg)

Photo: Philipp Hoenle · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1626

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/hoatzin?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).