Adjacent Words

oilbird definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: nocturnal fruit-eating bird of South America that has fatty young yielding an oil that is used instead of butter [syn: oilbird, guacharo, Steatornis caripensis]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: circa 1890 a nocturnal bird (Steatornis caripensis) of northern South America and Trinidad that is related to the nightjars, feeds chiefly on the fatty fruits of various palms, and has fatty young from which an oil used especially in cooking is extracted — called also guacharo

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Oilbird Oil"bird`, n. (Zo["o]l.) See Guacharo.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Guacharo Gua*cha"ro, n. [Cf. Sp. gu['a]charo sickly, dropsical, guacharaca a sort of bird.] (Zo["o]l.) A nocturnal bird of South America and Trinidad (Steatornis Caripensis, or S. steatornis); -- called also oilbird. Note: It resembles the goatsuckers and nighthawks, but feeds on fruits, and nests in caverns. A pure oil, used in place of butter, is extracted from the young by the natives.