# Hoatzin (*Opisthocomus hoazin*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/hoatzin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), also called the Stinkbird or Canje pheasant, is a bird of the family Opisthocomidae in the order Opisthocomiformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 696 g, and our sources report values up to 793 g. The hoatzin is a herbivore of riverine habitats with a perching lifestyle, is sedentary, and has a geographic range of 7,560,000 km². It lays 3 eggs per clutch, incubates them for 28 days, and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 696 g – 793 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | riverine |
| Egg incubation | 28 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 – 3 |
| Lifestyle | Perching |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Opisthocomiformes
- family: Opisthocomidae
- genus: Opisthocomus
- species: *Opisthocomus hoazin* (P. L. S. Müller, 1776)

Synonyms: *Opisthocomus sasa*, *Opithocomus hoazin*, *Phasianus cristatus*, *Phasianus hoazin*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the hoatzin?

The hoatzin is a bird in the family Opisthocomidae and the order Opisthocomiformes. It is also called the Stinkbird or Canje pheasant.

### How heavy is a hoatzin?

An adult Hoatzin weighs 696 g, and our sources report values up to 793 g. This places it in the small size class.

### What does the hoatzin eat?

The hoatzin is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the hoatzin live in?

The hoatzin lives in riverine habitats, where it has a perching lifestyle. It is sedentary.

### Is the hoatzin endangered?

No. The hoatzin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How many eggs does the hoatzin lay?

The hoatzin lays 3 eggs per clutch, and the eggs are incubated for 28 days.

### Who named the hoatzin?

The hoatzin was named Opisthocomus hoazin by (P. L. S. Müller, 1776).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/hoatzin