86: Hoatzins: The Weird “Dinosaur Bird” With Claws on Its Wings 🦖🐦

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together, we dive into the strange and fascinating world of the Hoatzin—one of the most unusual birds on Earth.Native to the swamps and river systems of South America, the Hoatzin is famous for its prehistoric appearance, unusual digestion, strange odor, and one truly incredible feature: chicks are born with claws on their wings that help them climb through vegetation before they can fly. Because of these bizarre traits, the Hoatzin has long fascinated scientists, birders, and dinosaur enthusiasts alike.Joining us is Jacob Drucker, a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago, where he studies how birds interact with tropical climates across ecological and evolutionary timescales.Together with Field Museum ornithologists and curators of birds John Bates and Shannon Hackett, alongside RJ Pole and Amanda Marquart, we explore Hoatzin behavior, bird evolution, tropical ecology, dinosaur connections, bird anatomy, and why this species continues to puzzle ornithologists around the world.If you love birding, birdwatching, weird animals, dinosaur birds, tropical birds, ornithology, wildlife science, evolution, and fascinating bird facts, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.Here is a video of Shannon talking about the Hoatzin at the Field Museum: https://youtu.be/i5j2B9sRx-c?si=szsHSEF_6FQ9S0s8Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode with your fellow birders and podcast lovers!Here are links to our social and YouTube pages, give us a follow:YouTube InstagramTikTokBlueSky