Illustration of hoatzin
hoatzin
noun
hoa·tzin
wä(t)-ˈsēn 
: a crested large South American bird (Opisthocomos hoazin) with blue facial skin, red eyes, brown plumage marked with white above, and claws on the first and second digits of the wing when young
Examples of hoatzin in a Sentence
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A little way down the bank, a hoatzin flapped awkwardly in dense foliage.
—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoatzin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoatzin. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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