I took this photograph about one year ago at the Bronx Zoo (coincidentally I'm returning there today), but I don't know what species of bird this is. If you do, please feel free to identify it in the comments.
Update: Thanks to everyone who replied in the comments. It indeed seems to be a Guira (Guira guira), and I appreciate those of you who took the time to respond! I didn't get to walk through the "World of Birds" this weekend to try and get another look at this bird, but perhaps next time.
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A Hoatzin. (A galliform found in the Amazonian rain forests)
I think it is rather the Guira (Guira guira), that is indeed similar to the Hoatzin in its plumage, but lacks for example the blue face.
The Hoatzin has also been suggested to be closely related to the cockoos rather than to the Galliformes, which could explain this similarity.
Thanks for the correction. I didn't realize the two species were that similar. I was thinking the neck looked short for a Hoatzin.
Here's a Hoatzin photo. Notice that this species lacks pale undertail coverts
http://www.greentracks.com/images/hoatzin02.jpg
Here's a Guira Cuckoo photo, showing pale undertail coverts
http://www.klein.com/dvk/photos/birds/guira_cuckoo.jpg
I recall seeing a recent article, somewhere, on bird relationships which said that Hoatzins really are in the Galliformes, and not in the Cuculiformes with the Guira Cuckoo.
The hoatzin has been arguably the hardest bird in the world to place phylogenetically. However, the idea that the hoatzin could be related to the Galliformes is now decidedly unpopular, I believe. Galliformes form a clade with Anseriformes (ducks and geese) that is one of the more basal bird groups, while the hoatzin is a member of the Neoaves, the clade containing all modern birds except Galliformes, Anseriformes and palaeognaths (ratites and tinamous).
Relationships that have been suggested on morphological grounds include with the cuckoos or the seriemas. Molecular analyses, on the other hand, have suggested that the hoatzin belongs to the Metaves, a controversial clade containing a number of bird groups including nightjars and pigeons that had not been previously suggested as related (Fain & Houde, 2004; Ericson et al., 2006). A relationship between the hoatzin and pigeons had been suggested previously.
Definately a guira cuckoo. I should think the similarity of its plumage to that of the hoatzin is convergent.
Personally, I feel more for the Metaves-proposal then for hoatzins-as-cuculiforms.
In the same studies cuckoos end up as basal members of surprisingly, a 'water bird'-clade (Nattatores, I believe) consisting of bustards, Grues (cranes,limpkin and trumpeters), Ralli (rails and finfoots), tubenoses, penguins,'Ciconiiformes' and 'Pelecaniformes' as well as the touracos. If correct, this would place cuckoos, touracos and bustards as basal, terrestrial members of a clade that took to wading, swimming and diving afterwards.
By the way, I don't think any zoo exhibits the hoatzin, though I could of course be wrong.
Oo! A chance to use my favorite biological pun. It was the title of an article in Discover magazine (?) about the digestive system of this strange bird (they are they only known avian foregut fermenters):
"Alimentary, my dear Hoatzin"
HA!
So this Jabiru Stork walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Why the long face?"
I looked at the wikipedia page for the Hoatzin, so I think I'm up to speed on its putatitive relationships.
That's "Natatores".
I think I have heard that the derivation of the name 'hoatzin' refers to the vile odour these birds supposedly emit, which could go some way towards explaining why they're not a popular exhibit.
n iogh bi gh bhbhip hbj nj