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The oilbird (Steatornis caripensis) is a large bird species related to the nightjars. They are the only nocturnal flying fruit-eating birds in the world. They forage at night, with specially adapted eyesight. Oilbirds navigate by echolocation in the same way as bats, which makes them one of the few birds to do so.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe feathers of the oilbird are soft like those of many nightbirds, but not as soft as those of owls or nightjars, as they do not need to be silent like predatory species. The oilbird is mainly reddish-brown with white spots on the nape and wings. Lower parts are cinnamon-buff with white diamond-shaped spots edged in black, these spots start small towards the throat and get larger towards the back. The stiff tail feathers are a rich brown spotted with white on either side. The feet are small and almost useless, other than for clinging to vertical surfaces. The long wings have evolved to make it capable of hovering and twisting flight, which enables it to navigate through restricted areas of its caves. The eyes of oilbirds are highly adapted to nocturnal foraging. The eyes are small, but the pupils are relatively large, allowing the highest light-gathering capacity of any bird. They have low numbers of cone cells, and the whole arrangement would allow them to capture more light in low-light conditions but probably have poor vision in daylight.
Oilbirds are found in the northern areas of South America including the Caribbean island of Trinidad. They range from Guyana and the island of Trinidad to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. They occur in lowlands and mountainous regions and require both caves to breed in and roost in frequently, and forests containing fruiting trees. Where suitable caves are absent, oilbirds will roost and breed in narrow gorges and grottos with suitable rock shelves. Oilbirds perform seasonal movements across some of their range, travelling from their breeding caves in search of fruit trees.
Oilbirds are nocturnal. During the day they rest on cave ledges and leave at night to find fruit outside the cave. They live in pairs and breed in large colonies. Although oilbirds have specially adapted vision to forage by sight, they supplement sight by echolocation in sufficiently poor light conditions, using a series of sharp audible clicks for this purpose. These high-pitched clicking sounds of around 2 kHz are audible to humans. In addition to clicks used for echolocation, oilbirds also produce a variety of harsh screams while in their caves. Entering a cave with a light especially provokes these raucous calls; they also may be heard as the birds prepare to emerge from a cave at dusk.
Oilbirds are herbivores (frugivores). They feed on the fruits of the oil palm and tropical laurels.
Oilbirds are monogamous and form pairs; they are colonial cave nesters. The nest of these birds is a heap of droppings, usually above water, either a stream or the sea. The female lays 2-4 glossy white eggs which soon become stained brown. Both parents incubate the eggs for about 32-35 days. The chicks hatch blind and naked; they grow slowly tended and fed by both parents and leave the nest when they are 110-120 days old.
Although not threatened at present, oilbirds suffer from the loss of feeding trees and poaching of their nests.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the oilbird is 20,000-49,999 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are stable.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...