guacharo

American  

[gwah-chuh-roh] / ˈgwɑ tʃəˌroʊ /

noun

plural

guacharos

1. a nocturnal, fruit-eating, South American bird, Steatornis caripensis, the young of which yield an oil derived from their fat.

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guacharo British  

/ ˈɡwɑːtʃəˌrəʊ /

noun

1. another name for oilbird

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Etymology

Origin of guacharo

First recorded in 1820–30; from South American Spanish guácharo, from guacho “vagabond,” from Quechua wakcha “orphan, poor person” (perhaps because of the bird's sad-sounding cries)

Example Sentences

The nocturnal birds of Europe are lean, because, instead of feeding on fruits, like the guacharo, they live on the scanty produce of their prey.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Ross, Thomasina

In habits the guacharo is wholly nocturnal, slumbering by day in deep and dark caverns which it frequents in vast numbers.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various

A comparison of the beaks of the guacharo and the goatsucker serves to denote how much their habits must differ.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Ross, Thomasina

The guacharo is said to build a bowl-like nest of clay, in which it lays from two to four white eggs, with a smooth but lustreless surface, resembling those of some owls.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various

The guacharo is of the size of the common fowl; its hooked bill is white, like that of the goat-sucker, and furnished at the base with stiff hairs, directed forwards.

From The Mines and its Wonders by Kingston, William Henry Giles