Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)
One of the most fascinating birds I've ever seen! Also called Gypsy (Cigana) it feeds on fresh leaves, flowers and fruits of aninga, siriúba (a mangrove plant), embaúba (pioneer plant that grows in places of great sun), aguapé (floating aquatic plants) and new grass. To digest this hard material, the gypsy has an interesting system of very strong paps, responsible for the mechanical grinding of food. The paps are up to 50 times larger than the stomach of the animal and the digestion of the mass of leaves is aided by symbiotic bacteria, as it happens in ruminant mammals (like cattle).
Picture taken from a boat - at Parque Estadual do Cantão, Tocantins.
HBW!
Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!
© All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. All rights reserved. Please contact me at thelma.gatuzzo@gmail.com if you intend to buy or use any of my images.
Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)
One of the most fascinating birds I've ever seen! Also called Gypsy (Cigana) it feeds on fresh leaves, flowers and fruits of aninga, siriúba (a mangrove plant), embaúba (pioneer plant that grows in places of great sun), aguapé (floating aquatic plants) and new grass. To digest this hard material, the gypsy has an interesting system of very strong paps, responsible for the mechanical grinding of food. The paps are up to 50 times larger than the stomach of the animal and the digestion of the mass of leaves is aided by symbiotic bacteria, as it happens in ruminant mammals (like cattle).
Picture taken from a boat - at Parque Estadual do Cantão, Tocantins.
HBW!
Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!
© All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. All rights reserved. Please contact me at thelma.gatuzzo@gmail.com if you intend to buy or use any of my images.