guacharo

9.9

A large night bird from northern South America that eats fruit and nests in caves

noun
/ɡwɑːˈtʃɑːroʊ/

: guácharo

The eerie calls of the guacharo echo through the caverns at night.

Examples

The guacharo is known for its unique diet.
Early explorers collected oil from young guacharos to use in cooking.
The guacharo nests in caves throughout northern South America.
Many guacharros can be found in the Amazon rainforest.
While on vacation in Venezuela, we spotted a guacharo nesting in a tree at dusk.
The guacharo feeds primarily on fruits found in the lush forests of northern South America.
Locals admire the guacharo for its unique habits and the oil extracted from its young.

Synonyms

oilbird

vsguacharo

1 9.9

A night bird from South America that eats fruit, lives in caves, and uses sound to move in the dark

is the same bird but usually referred to by a Latin scientific name

Steatornis caripensis

vsguacharo

Specialized

9.9

A nocturnal bird from northern South America that eats fruit and whose young provide oil used as butter

is the same bird but named in everyday speech rather than by its scientific label

Surface Forms

guacharo singular

guacharros plural

Etymology

The word guacharo comes from Spanish, which borrowed the name from a local South American language for the cave-dwelling bird; a helpful way to remember it is the English name oilbird, because people once collected the young for their 'oil' to use as a 'butter substitute'. That's why guacharo means the fruit-eating, cave-nesting bird of northern South America.