Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis)
About the Oilbird
The oilbird (Steatornis caripensis), locally known as the guácharo, is a bird species found in the northern areas of South America including the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is the only living species in the genus Steatornis, the family Steatornithidae, and the order Steatornithiformes. Nesting in colonies in caves, oilbirds are nocturnal feeders on the fruits of the oil palm and tropical laurels. They are the only nocturnal flying fruit-eating birds in the world (the kākāpō, also nocturnal, is flightless). They forage at night, with specially adapted eyesight. However, they navigate by echolocation in the same way as bats, one of the few birds to do so. They produce a high-pitched clicking sound of around 2 kHz that is audible to humans.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 71 recordings for this species: 4 CC BY-NC-SA · 1 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorumrecording
- Amazonian Barred WoodcreeperDendrocolaptes certhiarecording
- Amazonian GrosbeakCyanoloxia rothschildiirecording
- Amazonian Streaked AntwrenMyrmotherula multostriatarecording
- Amazonian TrogonTrogon ramonianusrecording
- American Barn OwlTyto furcatarecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.