CreatureData

Oilbird

Steatornis caripensis von Humboldt, 1817

LCLeast Concernbirds

The oilbird (Steatornis caripensis) is a bird in the family Steatornithidae and the order Steatornithiformes. It is a small, sedentary frugivore of forest habitat with a perching lifestyle, and adults weigh 408 g, with a highest reported value of 412.8 g.

Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis)
Photo: The Lilac Breasted Roller · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the oilbird

It lays one clutch per year of 2.9 eggs, which are incubated for 33.5 days, and its lifespan is up to 12 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the oilbird as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category, and its geographic range covers 1,057,000 km².

Weight
408 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
up to 12 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Frugivoresrc for Diet
Main food
fruitssrc for Main food
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
33.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2.8 – 2.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the oilbird

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis)
Dominic Sherony · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis)
CHAVESJUAN19 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the oilbird live?

Not recorded

What is the oilbird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Oilbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oilbird&oldid=1378321881), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the oilbird endangered?

The oilbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the oilbird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderSteatornithiformes
  5. familySteatornithidae
  6. genusSteatornis
  7. SpeciesSteatornis caripensis von Humboldt, 1817

Synonyms Steatornis caripennis, Steatornis carpensis

Other names and names in other languages (32)
  • طائر الزيت الكاريبيArabic
  • ГуахараBelarusian
  • ocell de l'oliCatalan
  • gvačaro jeskynníCzech
  • aderyn olewWelsh
  • FedtfuglDanish
  • FettschwalmGerman
  • oleobirdoEsperanto
  • GuácharoSpanish
  • Pájaro aceiteSpanish
  • Pájaro aceitosoSpanish
  • õlilind (guahaaro)Estonian
  • rasvakehrääjäFinnish
  • Guacharo des cavernesFrench
  • uljašicaCroatian
  • zsírfecskeHungarian
  • GuaciaroItalian
  • アブラヨタカJapanese
  • 기름쏙독새Korean
  • guacharasLithuanian
  • VetvogelDutch
  • fettfuglNorwegian
  • Para ZetaPapiamento
  • Parha ZetaPapiamento
  • tłuszczakPolish
  • ГуахароRussian
  • guačaro jaskynnýSlovak
  • Uljana ptica (guačaro)Serbian
  • oljefågelSwedish
  • YağkuşuTurkish
  • 油鴟Chinese
  • 油夜鹰Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the oilbird

Other species in the same class Aves.

LC, Least Concern
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Anatidae

CompareOilbird vs Common ostrichOilbird vs House sparrowOilbird vs Common ravenOilbird vs Mallard

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the oilbird?

The oilbird is a bird in the family Steatornithidae, order Steatornithiformes.

How heavy is the oilbird?

Adult Oilbirds weigh 408 g, with a highest reported value of 412.8 g.

What does the oilbird eat?

The oilbird is a frugivore, placing it at the herbivore trophic level.

Is the oilbird endangered?

No. The oilbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

How long does the oilbird live?

The oilbird lives up to 12 years.

How many eggs does the oilbird lay?

The oilbird lays 2.9 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 33.5 days.

Who named the oilbird?

The oilbird was named Steatornis caripensis by von Humboldt, 1817.

What habitat does the oilbird live in?

The oilbird lives in forest habitat and is sedentary.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/oilbird

MLA

“Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/oilbird.

BibTeX
@misc{oilbird_2026,
  title = {Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/oilbird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}