"Move over Archaeopteryx"

I wonder how special we'd feel the Archaeopteryx is if we could see a South American Hoatzin up-close.



It is a beautiful, striking, bird. They have claws on their wings, allowing them to climb trees just like a monkey and helping them ward off enemies.

The Hoatzin become expert swimmers before they can fly. If a predator approaches, they can fall to the swamp below their nest and swim back to shore and climb back up to the nest.

Another unique trait is that they are the only bird known to digest their food like a cow. They have two stomachs and they ferment their food.

Lastly, molecular biologists say that it is a relative to the cuckoo. Huh, and I thought it was a dinosaur!