guano
Americannoun
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guanos
plural
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a natural manure composed chiefly of the excrement of sea birds, found especially on islands near the Peruvian coast.
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any similar substance, as an artificial fertilizer made from fish.
noun
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the dried excrement of fish-eating sea birds, deposited in rocky coastal regions of South America: contains the urates, oxalates, and phosphates of ammonium and calcium; used as a fertilizer
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the accumulated droppings of bats and seals
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any similar but artificial substance used as a fertilizer
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A substance composed chiefly of the dung of sea birds or bats, accumulated along certain coastal areas or in caves and used as fertilizer.
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Any of various similar substances, such as a fertilizer prepared from ground fish parts.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of guano
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Spanish: “fertilizer, dung”; Latin American Spanish huano “dung,” from Quechua wanu “dung for fuel, fertilizer”
Explanation
Guano is bird or bat poop. If you park your car near the harbor, your windshield may end up covered in seagull guano. Ew. You'll most often find the word guano used for the specific bird (or bat) manure that's used as a fertilizer in gardens. In fact, the term is so common that some fertilizers are called guano even when they don't contain actual bird poop. Guano, a Spanish word with Quechua roots, is rich in nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients that help plants grow.
Vocabulary lists containing guano
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Their collective body heat raises the cave’s temperature to a sweltering 106°F, and the piles of guano beneath them are deep enough to bury the Statue of Liberty to her waist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The island's distinctive white colour comes from bird droppings - also known as guano - which coat the surface and give it a distinctive smell.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
The latter elements suggest the hearth was intentionally sealed with a mixture of guano and sand, which can protect plant materials within the hearth from catching fire—conditions needed to create tar.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 22, 2024
Their guano, or dung, can also be used as fertilizer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2024
Then the flock moved on, and the ice around Patience Camp was streaked with blood and red penguin guano.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
It has been estimated that Texas guanos alone consume 6,600 tons of insects each year.
From Time Magazine Archive
Table showing gradual deterioration of Peruvian guano, 1867-1881 329 V. Composition of different guanos 329 VI.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Charles Morton Aikman
Of these phosphatic guanos the following are the chief—those marked in italics being still unexhausted:— 1.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Charles Morton Aikman
Such guanos form a soft phosphatic rock, and are extremely rich in phosphates.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Charles Morton Aikman
Our repose at Cockpit Hall was, however, much disturbed by the nightly visits of wild hogs, porcupines, wild cats, guanos, and various other animals, some of which made dreadful noises.
From Borneo and the Indian Archipelago with drawings of costume and scenery by Frank Marryat
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