Hoatzin - Relationship With Humans

Relationship With Humans

Though conspicuous, even attractive, at close range due to its bizarre shape and striking colors, unwariness and a poor flier, it is not considered endangered. In fact, its survival seems to be more assured than that of many other endemics of its range. In Brazil, indigenous peoples sometimes collect the eggs for food, and the adults are occasionally hunted, but in general this is rare, as it is reputed to have a bad taste. While its preferred habitats, mangrove and riverine forest, are disappearing quickly in some regions, it is less threatened than terra firme forest, which is the primary target for deforestation in the Amazon. The Hoatzin therefore remains fairly common in a large part of its range. The Hoatzin is the national bird of Guyana.

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