Susan Bradshaw, age 14, of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, for her question:

WHAT IS A HOATZIN?

Not too many people have seen the strange looking bird called the hoatzin. He lives in marshy waterways of northern South America.

Picture this if you can: he has a long face which gives the appearance of a small donkey's head and feathers that look like several long ears. His feathers are bright brown with under parts of buff, and they give off a strong, musky odor that isn't too pleasant. He's often called by the unflattering name of stinkbird.

Hoatzins are born with claws on their wings. Young hoatzins use the claws to climb on tree branches until they learn to fly. As the bird reaches adulthood, the claws fall off.

The hoatzins have no close relatives. They're a bit larger than pigeons and eat leaves and fruit.