Hokkos is hen-birds of pheasants, until turkey-size (total-length 47-100 cm, weight 0,5-4,8 kg), who live exclusively in tropical and subtropical areas of means and South America, where they occur in forest-areas and other regions with dense vegetation.
Way of life The big types look for its food - mainly fruits - seeds - buds - on the ground, comes back to silence-places in higher trees by night, however, with danger, Hokkos also escape into the protective branch-work. Smaller types - Schakuhühner or Guans - live almost exclusively in the treetops where they look for fruits and berries.
Reproduction Also, most of the types of this family build its flat nests in the branches of the trees, usually only few meters over the ground, from moderate-sized branches, foliage and grass. Only few other hen-birds won't base its nests like the Hokkos on the ground.
The nest usually consists of 2-3 relatively big, rough-stale-y eggs, that are incubated (according to type deceased) only by the hen for 22-35 days. The boys are airworthy already few hours after hatching and do gymnastics around in the branches already in the age of few days. they are either fed by the parents from the crop (only with few types existing) or (as with most Hokkos) from the widened, expansive esophagus initially. Also during the incubation, Hokkos hold together sociably; the boys of some types infer from young already after some days of mixed troops - and alto-birds at. Also "polygamy" probably is the rule with some Hokkoarten. The nests then consist of 6-9 eggs.
Locomotion With its long, slim legs and this also reaches, toes (the rear-toe begins in a level with the fore ones) claw-fortified to move Hokkos skillfully and fast in the branch-work is able. The flight of these quite big hen-birds is rather ponderous on the other hand. they usually climb the top of a high-situated tree in order to reach new food-sources from there gliding. With its short, rounded wings, Hokkos can overcome also shorter routes in the free flight from time to time.
System The systematic division of the numerous Hokkos into types, yes even the number of the types of opinion fluctuates strongly. Many birds of this family show only low external differences. One assumes that different reputation-types contribute to the type-demarcation. With many Hokkos, the voice-appliance is developed through remarkable expansions and extensions of the windpipe strongly. But also types with "normal" windpipe are quite reputation-joyful and loud.
As Kurassos or Hokkos, the 7-8 types of the type Crax, the 3 types of the Mitus, usually become the Helmhokko (Pauxi pauxi) from west-Venezuela, marks big red or Schopfhokko (Nothocrax urumutum) until north-east-Peru and the southern Amazon-area Bolivia and East-Colombia as well as the 65 cm from southwest-Venezuela.
Actual Hokkos (type Crax)) they usually wear head-bonnets from aufstellbaren, on the end forward rolled up feathers. The sexes show a clear Dimorphismus: the plumage of the male birds is brilliantly black with exception of the white stomach-side, the wax-skin at the beak-basis shines powerfully yellow (Gelblappenhokko, Crax daubentoni, 83 cm), blue (Blaulappenhokko) C. alberti (90 cm) or red (Knopfschnabel-Hokko or Karunkelhokko) C. globulosa (90 cm) and carries a fleshy hump mostly.
The plumage of the females against it roved partially white, as with the 95 cm of big Glattschnabelhokko (Crax alector) from Guyana, southeast-Venezuela until East-Colombia and the Amazon-area or it carries mainly bay and cinnamon-colored sounds red like with the 90 cm big or Tuberkelhokko (Crax rubra) from East-Mexico until west-Ecuador. The beak-basis of the Hokkoweibchen is gloomily colored and doesn't carry any hump.
This close to relatives, a black plumage with greenish glimmer has 90 cm big Helmhokko (Pauxi pauxi), the stomach-side rises knows from. A 3-7,5 cm high bluish bone-hump stands on the forehead.
Guans or Schakuhühner The onomatopoeic name "Schaku", that is more Indian extraction, marks them in the following presented Hokko-Verwandten, Z. B. the 70 cm long, black Aburri (Aburria aburri) from the Andes-area of Venezuela until Peru as well as two types of the type Chamaepetes from Colombia until Peru.
Also the 4 types of the white-bonnets or Weißkopf-Schakuhühner are among it, among them the 68 cm big Schakutinga (Pipile cumanensis), spreads in Venezuela, the Guyana-states and southwards until North-Argentina.
The name marks also the 13-15 types of the type Penelope, according to Z, the further one. B. the Schakupemba (Penelope Superciliaris) from East-Brazil and Paraguay. The Rostbauch-Guan (P). purpurascens, from Mexico until Venezuela and west-Ecuador is with 90 cm of length one of the biggest types, the Andenguan (P). montagnii, against it from the Andes-area of Venezuela until North-Argentina is with only 60 cm of length one of the smallest types of this type.
With the Schakuhühnern, the sexes don't differ usually at all, its plumage is mainly bronze-colored until olivbraun; bare places in head and neck take off blue and red.
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