Home Home  Article Index Article Index  
GuruPedia  

Oilbird

Oilbird
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Steatornithidae
Genus: Steatornis
Species: caripensis
Binomial name
Steatornis caripensis
Humboldt, 1817

The Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis) is a slim, long-winged bird related to the nightjars. It is found in the northern areas of South America.

This nocturnal species, uniquely, is a specialist feeder on the fruit of the Oil Palm. All the other nightjars and their relatives are insectivores.

The Oilbird's feet are small and almost useless.

During the day these birds rest on cave ledges. The nest is a heap of droppings, on which 2-4 white eggs are laid.

The relationships with other species is as below:

Popular Topics

This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.  For the live article, click here.

Privacy