The Bizarre Beast with Claws on Its Wings

[@BizarreBeasts]

Get this incredible signed print by Emily Graslie (featuring the hoatzin) here! complexly.store/products/emily-graslie-print

[@pokoirlyase5931]

Another fun fact : Among the reasons this bird is not on the endangered species list, like many of its neighbours, is because it tastes disgusting. So no one hunts it for food .. or anything else actually

[@phelps6205]

Makes you wonder why there aren't more species that evolved this trait.

[@opeltheartist]

@@phelps6205 I certainly did 👍

[@curtisk2286]

Heard it's called stink bird too!

[@randompheidoleminor3011]

@@phelps6205 because they use other modes of defense, like flight (birds), size and aggression (auroch, elephant), or just sheer numbers (sardines, salmon) - things that wouldn't compete effectively against humans' rapid technogical advance when our numbers exploded. Being toxic isn't a failsafe solution either - predators may be able to evolve resistance to it, rendering it moot in those scenarios, like turtles and jellyfish, badgers and cobras, humans and chocolate.

[@Horsie112]

I want to hug one

[@kaylasilvera]

When Hank said that 'life isn't supposed to work in any particular way. It's supposed to work in the way that works,' he really wasn't kidding.

[@sadiyahassan5812]

+

[@BaalFridge]

"Life uuhh.. Finds a way"

[@AifDaimon]

@@BaalFridge famous quote by Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park

[@kylestanley7843]

@@AifDaimon I think they know.

[@JonasC22]

Hank Hill?

[@daveandgena3166]

Eats leaves, young with wing claws they use to climb trees, weird bone structure, don't really fly ... are these birds still dinosaurs?

[@pst5345]

they are. Like every bird.

[@luckytrap897]

@@pst5345 Not really how birds work but okay

[@crackedemerald4930]

I mean, kinda, like all birds.

[@rrrr-im9oz]

@@luckytrap897 yes thats how they work, all birds are dinosaurs, they are inside dinosauria

[@Schneeregen_]

@@luckytrap897 That's how Taxonomy works.

[@austinjackson806]

And that... is elementary, my dear Hoatzin.

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[@MaxWelton]

D'awww, I got beat to the punch

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

Came here to make that joke

[@Libbyness]

@cory0320 cory0320 LOLOL

[@kylestanley7843]

LMAO

[@kamilrizvi5361]

The more I learn about birds, the more I think they're not so departed from the dinosaurs yet as I once thought

[@Borderose]

Not all dinos were birds. But ALL birds are dinos.

[@kamilrizvi5361]

@@Borderose oh I know, I’m a zoology major. I just meant that evolution hasn’t distanced modern birds from archaeopteryx as far as I used to think

[@dundee6402]

Birds are so closely related to the raptor branch of dinos they might as well be part of it.

[@ploopy8780]

@@kamilrizvi5361 what does being a zoology major consist of? Is it difficult?

[@kamilrizvi5361]

@@ploopy8780 I enjoy it! At least after I got through the chemistry courses 😅 A lot of the classes are really easy to get invested in because they’re so interesting, I’m currently taking a Parasitology class that is definitely hard, don’t get me wrong, but I absolutely love it and find it so cool!

[@Astrih_Konnash]

There's a bird here in Brazil, the "quero-quero" ("southern lapwing" or Vanellus chilensis) that sports a couple of 1cm-sized spurs on each wing, used to intimidate rivals or enemies while flying. They nest in grasslands, being very common to be found in soccer camps and sometimes disturbing the trains because they try to protect the nests (for the amusement of those who watch the trains :D)

[@leonardoscheffer]

Aqui no Paraná o quero-quero é muito comum. Trabalho no Museu de Ciências Naturais da UFPR e nós temos um exemplar taxidermizado na exposição com o "esporão" (uma unha do animal) bem evidente.

[@Astrih_Konnash]

@@leonardoscheffer Já vi um ou dois aqui no campus da UFRJ e sempre mantinha uma distância deles pois havia a possibilidade de ter um ninho por perto Nessas partes descampadas até via corujas buraqueiras :D

[@leonardoscheffer]

@@Astrih_Konnash que legal! O quero-quero pode ser bem territorialista quando cuida dos filhotes. É uma ave até bem tolerante à presença humana, contanto que o ambiente tenha um mínimo de áreas com vegetação rasteira. Um casal já fez ninho no meu vizinho da frente, sendo que o terreno dele tem só uns 20 m² de gramado.

[@elihinze3161]

This lady's narration is hilarious and perfect for Bizarre Beasts.

[@darkstar2874]

Agree, she nails the “I am completely exasperated, this is *crazy* “ line delivery

[@renatosiqueira1834]

Totally agree with you! Great narrator, great video!

[@tatoruso]

Yes! Got me to subscribe!

[@stephensmith4025]

You know someone else wrote it and she’s just reciting it ?

[@elihinze3161]

@@stephensmith4025 Yes, I am aware of that

[@lukeh2556]

Of course geese have wings claws because frick you, they're geese

[@herranton]

Geese also have teethe. On their tongues. In case they're wing claws weren't scary enough.

[@DoctorX17]

@@herranton Plus they can continue to attack you with their neck broken in half. They're demonic, I tell you

[@devinm.6149]

@@DoctorX17 very protective of their families.

[@AifDaimon]

@@DoctorX17 huh!? really!?!?

[@DoctorX17]

@@AifDaimon indeed... One time I saw one get hit by a car, car drove off, but the angry goose, with its _neck bent over and head upside-down,_ came squawking and screeching at me, trying to attack me, just because I was nearby. Truly distributing

[@Bee-nw6df]

The wing claws make them look like little baby dragons u_u

[@tonikebschull5469]

My thoughts exactly!

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

Right? The way they moved, too! I guess you can see a lot of where animators for, like, Norbert took their winged inspiration from.

[@budmeister]

More like their ancestors, the non-avian therapods.

[@AifDaimon]

baby wyverns, you mean.. wyverns are basically like the pterosaurs/pterodactyls

[@blarg2429]

@@AifDaimon The wyvern/dragon distinction is made up, and not as widespread as you might htink. If you want to look at dragons through the lens of mythology, you quickly find that the concept of "dragon" is more of a handful of distinct narrative roles than a physical description; some dragons are mashups of various specific animals, some are just huge snakes, etc (consider the fact that _every_ culture has a dragon-concept; if they were defined by body type this would not be true). If you want to look at dragons through the lens of modern fantasy pop culture, then there are no fixed rules because that's not how art works. If you care about this topic, I suggest you watch OSP's "Trope Talk: Dragons" video. If not, have a nice day.

[@cloverhighfive]

"It eats/digests like a cow" oh cool... I wonder what that bird tastes like. "It stinks like fresh cow manure." nevermind.

[@ThunderOrb]

But if you eat cattle despite them smelling like their own manure, what's the difference?

[@cloverhighfive]

@@ThunderOrb Interesting point. Although a clean cow doesn't smell like its own manure. But interesting point.

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

@@cloverhighfive I think it's the bird's breath that makes it smell that way, rather than body odor.

[@LeesChannel]

@@ThunderOrb Their meat actually has a foul taste.

[@raccoonchild]

@@ThunderOrb Tell me you've never been near a cow without telling me you've never been near a cow 🤨

[@Milamberinx]

"Sherlock, why do people say I smell like a cow?" "Why that's ruminantary, my dear Hoatzin"

[@matthew_thefallen]

Ah yes, the living Archaeopteryx kind of bird haha

[@rnick3665]

1:12 The way that baby climbs up makes me think of early feathered dinosaurs. I mean if you climb up trees in order to drop down on prey below it is it likely to encourage a tendency to evolve towards at least gliding.

[@Judymontel]

Now when I think of Alexander Graham Bell making that first phone call I hear "Hoatzin! Come here! I need you!" Oy.

[@DoctorX17]

Cow bird Also, chickens having wing claws explains how a chicken scratched me when it just flapped its wings at me while I was petting it

[@loura246]

So it's the tuatara of birds. Next you should do aardvarks! The tuatara of mammals

[@jaynedavis3388]

When you said “ducks also have them” at the start, my mind went to the REAL nightmare fuel that is a duck’s reproductive organs (even double penis having sharks think that sh*t is brutal & their junk evolved to stop females forcibly scraping them off of their bodies during mating)

[@michaelf.2449]

But my first thought was "I don't want to learn about another corkscrew penis having animal." Also I believe snakes have a double headed penis probably for similar reasons.

[@shangobunni5]

Didn’t know this. I’ll be cursing you tonight when I can’t sleep.

[@leeleaman8057]

@@michaelf.2449snakes have a hemipenis which pretty much just two

[@SeanRhoadesChristopher]

Many of the dinosaurs such as Triceratops likely had a similar digestive systems.

[@nameless7838]

i KNEW this wouldn't go more than a few episodes without the Hoatzin showing up.

[@iamTheSnark]

Huazin. You hear a T and you don't write it. But hey, everyone in the comments does this, it seems.

[@nameless7838]

@@iamTheSnark The scientific name is Opisthocomus Hoazin, the common name is Hoatzin, spelled with a T. There's no U in the name.

[@quinnthefox2289]

:0 All this time i thought it was just called a Canje Pheasant

[@ShevaSmash]

@The Snark maybe because Hoatzin is the right spelling? It's how the channel wrote it in the info and how it's written in everything I can find online about the bird. Seriously, Google crap before you try giving people grief.

[@cortster12]

Wing claws instantly made sense to me, since wings are hands. So it wasn't a new adaptation, and just re-evolving something that is likely still there in its genetics. The stomach thing, on the other hand, is actually strange, as that's a new adaptation. Which is cool!

[@sarcasticeggs8998]

I dont know why, but the pictures of the bird and the term "Wing Claws," remind me a lot of Stymphalean Birds from greek myths

[@victoria_bongiorno]

MORE SARAH 👏

[@greensun1334]

I like Sarah very much - and she's really beautyful too...

[@SungazerDNB]

She's very sexy.

[@wandererinthedust276]

When I was a kid, there was a documentary I loved, narrated by Anthony Hopkins called the Flooded Forest. In it, I saw the Hoatzin for the first time! I thought it was gorgeous. Then, I saw the baby and didn't care about the claw because I WAS A KID WORRIED BECAUSE THE BABIES KEPT FALLING OFF! I always thought, "The babies were gonna fall in the water some day and ... :(((" This video gave me so much peace. Thank you.

[@alden1132]

Maybe it's ancestors were halfway to evolving into a land-dwelling terrorbird, and just reversed course when big cats showed up...

[@szeth14]

The entire video after 0:30 - Try not to think about duck genitals, try not to think about duck genitals, try not t......

[@marshallferron]

I think their wing claws are still remarkable because they're functional while the wing claws of other birds are entirely vestigial

[@bethaniepetitpas5699]

I always thought they looked like those flying feathered dinosaurs.

[@muhamadsayyidabidin3906]

I always think they looks like archaeopteryx

[@patriciapetitpas9105]

@@muhamadsayyidabidin3906 YES

[@MigWith]

They are

[@Saasbutter]

Congrats! You are absolutely right

[@rukeyburg1084]

One thing to support is that the animals have become smaller because of the environment. The hoatzin is quite big especially for a bird, so it's understandable it hits close to the dinosaur age

[@gracehwang5671]

So the Hoatzin literally gave up the ability to fly for more food. That’s my kind of bird

[@budmeister]

It can still fly, but not well

[@Nico-kf8wr]

I remember watching these birds in the Orinoco river. They were always perched on the low trees next to the river. They seemed weird, but I didn't know how weird until now.

[@emilysmith2965]

They were just vibing. Eatin leaves

[@IceNixie0102]

I really like this host; I was worried I'd miss Hank if he wasn't doing them all, but she's awesome. Also why does her voice sound so familiar?

[@greensun1334]

She is really awesome - and a very pretty Girl!

[@TeamLegacyFTW]

Who is hank?

[@TeamLegacyFTW]

Propane and propane accessories?🤔

[@greensun1334]

@@TeamLegacyFTW Hank is the other Narrator I guess...

[@TeamLegacyFTW]

@@greensun1334 My b. First video of this channel.

[@mehmetgurdal]

When the last sauropod died back in 66y ago he asked this birds ancestors to avenge him.

[@Achw3l]

What a fantastic channel this is

[@saber1epee0]

I didn't realize the schedule change so was confused this and the last one came so close together, but I'm Delighted!!

[@adityakhanna113]

"What are birds" meme just got serious

[@FirstDagger]

Birds are dinosaurs.

[@Mickeynomantle]

Absolutely adding this channel to my top 25

[@terririnella4032]

I have loved this bird since first hearing about it as a kid (love animal programs, watched a ton) it was described as being like an archaeopteryx and I can see it (and this was before feathered dinosaurs and dinos evolved into birds was even a common thought) Considering where it lives, I could see it going down the road to evolve like a monkey, losing flight (but keeping the ability to glide) and getting better and permanent hands and claws to climb and crawl along branches, hell it's smell could become a defense mechanism as it gets bigger and more monkey or sloth like

[@Lucinat0r]

the fact that many birds have claws should not surprise anyone. They are dinosaurs and archaic birds all had claws

[@ssjgarfield]

The Hoatzin happens to be my favourite bird due to it's prehistoric appearance. I had the pleasure to see them in the wild in Ecuador back in 2018.

[@KWolf2013]

This host's delivery and general incredulity bring me great joy. Also, what a cool bird!

[@BizarreBeasts]

Thank you! So glad!

[@svevo]

This build sucks. I don't understand why you would give up one of the most OP abilities in the game, learn to play and spend your evolution points better.

[@ApequH]

For advanced players only, I would trade the ability to eat leaves to fly if I could rebuild.

[@saber1epee0]

Look Bro not everyone's here to MinMax! Some of us reeeeally love finding a weird-ass Niche to fulfill. What? Your continent doesn't have any Ruminants at all? Oh allow my badass bird self to sliiiiide on in there.

[@mk_rexx]

you're just jealous of the ez xp

[@alicepow260]

@@saber1epee0 i think a lot of the players do it for the role play value

the build could have developed before the playerbase developed fully funtional top tier flying avian dinosaurs builds, and this weird build probably got quickly abandoned by toxic minmaxers, and its playerbase became sort of a meme, developing the scent of manure and high bulkyness to annoy tryhards

[@bluemanno7901]

Speaking evolutionary terms those claws aren't that weird, virtually all avian dinosaurs pre-cretaceous extinction had claw digits on their wings. So really the birds who don't have them are the weird ones.

[@alden1132]

I mean, birds *_ARE_* dinosaurs...

[@KAZVorpal]

Yes, even adult chickens have digits on their wings.

[@deborahkogan8742]

Wing claws like this were found in Archeopteryx. Perhaps they came from them!

[@damedesuka77]

For me the coolest part of this bird is their spiky, crown-like feathers on top of their heads! Such a good hairstyle!

[@AdamosDad]

Later in the late devouring period, fish became obnoxious, clam-a-saurs and oyster-etts appeared as appetizers. Animals without backbones hid from each other or fell down.

[@mdfacp]

What do the genetics show? I imagine mapping its genome might help find its closest relatives in its class.

[@DuelingBongos]

The fact that birds have claws on their wings is the same reason bats have claws on their wings: They all evolved from quadraped ancestors who walked on four feet, which all had claws, just as quadrapedal creatures still do today.

[@stax6092]

I thought anybody that has ever Butchered a bird for a meal has come across the wing claws. As an ex-professional cook, I didn't find that to be new. I did enjoy the episode though, very interesting bird.

[@JBroMukbang]

Bro got lost in time, these birds looks like the earliest forms of birds.

[@bobtube414]

Hoatzin chicks just redefined fight or flight!

[@strongpowerthankyou5929]

I thought their wing-claws are already weird, but boy, was I mistaken. The Hoatzin just gets weirder and weirder.

[@EcceJack]

I'm *loving* that background! :D Also, Sarah's great

[@travisboothe5670]

Wing claws, I got to get me some of those lol

[@minkexmachina1627]

I'm always so excited to get my bizarre beasts pin in the mail! Thank you!

[@colinfrederick2603]

I want that pin but I learned about this channel 3 years too late. I feel sooo Hoatzin rn.

[@claireingles-sj6xz]

Lovin' them avian theropods.

[@dylantrainer1677]

I love hoatzins! Got up close and personal at Cocha Cashu in Peru and they are such beautiful birds

[@Silvia-iy9jy]

SARAH!!! Incredible!!! You’re amazing!

[@KWolfeGaming]

I never expected to be this fascinated by a bird. That was quite unexpected! Would love to see one covering the pangolin one day. Most trafficked mammal, more evolutionarilly related to lions than the are other animals with convergent evolutionary traits like anteaters or armadillo, fascinating biology and eating habits, and, even related to today, one of the speculated potential animal to human vectors for the ongoing crisis. Ignoring the last thing, I just find them extremely fascinating.

[@Moto_Medics]

I appreciate the fact that you seem to match the background leds to your outfits

[@baneinsane1]

it wasn't even after the k/pg or k/t (whatever your preference) extinction that birds rapidly diversified, enantiornithes which is a fully extinct clade of aves also diversified very quickily prior to that (K/t )/ (K/Pg) event

[@TheTravelVal]

Weird! Or should I say.... bizarre!

[@NewMessage]

Bet that bird does an amazing Nixon impression.

[@katrinahockman5561]

A like for you, random internet stranger. That one took me a minute...

[@lukeh2556]

I like this joke but I don't know why

[@sammoyers4792]

I feel like if something eats leaves, there's a 100% chance it is weird.

[@GG-MA]

I loved it! Where do I sign for a thousand episodes?

[@003mohamud]

Watch it evolve into a quadruped cow-griffin.

[@Trowa71]

The claw thing was cool, but the diet is what is really blowing my mind here, I never even imagined such a scenario.

[@moisesmontecillo7570]

Dont let this distract you from the fact that the kookoo would rather face evolution pressures than just build a nest

[@garethtudor836]

I only found out that this channel exists today. I subbed, and this is the first video I've watched. What a brilliant introduction to the channel! A bird that I find so amazingly awesome, and a host whose fascination is obvious. I have a feeling I'm gonna love every video

[@SandyRiverBlue]

What's that Watson? Yes, yes, the mystery is afoot.

[@GreterThurnburger]

It's the 6th of June 2024, darnit ! I really wanted one of those hoatzin bird pins.

[@KS-mt1lb]

That's the Canje Pheasant. National bird of Guyana 🇬🇾

[@eshiffer]

I remember the Bronx Zoo used to have a flock of these. They were so fun to watch! I think they were fed what looked like kale.

[@alecity4877]

searched it up because they seemed similar to the guacharacas we have in Venezuela. Found out that they are and aren't. Apparently, they are what we call "guacharacas de agua" ("water guacharacas") but aren't in the same family, or even in the same order as the other bird we call guacharaca. That's fascinating to me.

[@fatimamahmoud4261]

What if the hoatzin is how all birds started millions of years ago and they all evolved except this bird

[@An-Islander]

What a charismatic presenter!!! I am team Sarah!

[@greensun1334]

The most endangered and rare Species are: Beautyful, very intellegent Girls with red Hair and light-blue Eyes - who have a Fable for Nature and Animals...

[@practicepositiveprogress5396]

Ah! I just got my chameleon pin and Im so excited to get this pin!

[@OmNomNomTurtle33]

Did anyone else think of that bit in Jenna Marbles' Google Deep Dive video where she googles "worst smells" and this beast comes up and she goes "hOAtzin! .......Stink bird :)" No? Just me?

[@AtarahDerek]

There's a bird in Indonesia born so precocial that it can fly right out of the egg. And it has claws on its wings. So do ostriches. And lots of other birds. Claws on wings are uncommon, but not rare. And almost every bird in the world has thumbs. Moa and kiwis are exceptions only because they have no or extremely small wings.

[@robbie356]

what is the indonesian bird?

[@joshiditesservellonacles7819]

It is clearly a poison and flying type Pokemon, indeed

[@paddyodriscoll8648]

A lot of birds still have claws on their wings,,, chickens,,, ostriches,,,banana eaters, and so on….

[@jonathanowo7584]

I always knew the ducks were hiding something

[@herranton]

The drakes (boy ducks) are hiding something. It's long, it's strong, it's corkscrew shaped and has barbs on it. The longest duck one on record is 16 inches. That's like 42 centimeters. Also, boy ducks don't quack. Only girls do.

[@officersoulknight6321]

This is just called a Quetzalcoatl

[@censusgary]

The difference between baby birds like the hoatzin, that are relatively agile (for baby birds), and those that aren’t, is an important distinction made by ornithologists and birders. Many birds (think robins) have young that hatch from their eggs blind, naked, and basically helpless. These are altricial chicks. Others (think poultry, like ducks) have young that hatch with a kind of feathers, and able to walk around and feed themselves. The latter are precocial chicks. These terms are not usually applied to mammals, but we could say that baby horses (foals) are precocial- they can walk and jump around within a few hours of birth- while human babies are altricial- we spend our first several months just lying around, waiting to be fed, and most of us don’t walk until we’re around a year old.

[@lukeh2556]

A Hoatzit?

[@woodfur00]

Elementary, my dear Hoatzin

[@lukeh2556]

@@woodfur00 Hoatzat Mr.Holmes?

[@insectbah]

This video is just spot-on in every way

[@yuvalne]

Okay, I really like Sarah's enounciation now

[@MaxWelton]

Elementary, my dear hoatzin

[@TheJasonBorn]

AKA, when people realize that scientists weren't joking by calling birds modern day dino's, and the birds prove it by having vestigial claws on their wings (AKA arms, hands, and *fingers* that once had claws like most reptiles and their decedents, specialized to allow them to fly). I love that some still do.

[@geeksdo1tbetter]

you are delightful! excellent narration!

[@TheYokiMoki]

Chickens have a gene that gives them 5 toes instead of 4. It also effects their wings and give them double claws.

[@TheScienceguy77]

Love this host. Her voice is perfect for these types of videos.

[@CrochetIsLife54]

I saw a post years ago about the Hoatzin’s unusual digestive tract (they eat leaves, so they aren’t normal birds). The best response in the comments section was: “It’s alimentary, my dear hoatzin.”

[@valerieellison2483]

Baby hoatzins can swim and climb, turkey poults can do minor amounts of flying at days old, and eurasian roller chicks projectile vomit at their enemies. Birds are pretty cool.

[@SaintVodou]

Great video! And you helped me with a knotty problem I was trying to work out for my latest sci-fi novel. Two birds with one stone…I don’t mean that literally😉

[@MK-dr7dx]

My mom used to bake whole chickens once or twice a week when I was a kid. I noticed the wing claws when I was about 6 or 7, but didn't think anything of them. Interesting how something so unusual becomes ordinary when you see it often enough.

[@WildBillCox13]

Wait-what's that giant raptoroid dinosaur with the giant foreclaws? Megaraptor? I think that one was supposed to be an herbivore, too. Maybe the lineage is there?

[@budmeister]

Well birds are descended from early therapod dinosaurs. All early birds also had wing claws throughout their life.