Oilbird

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A nocturnal cave-dwelling bird native to South America that produces echolocation calls and feeds on the fruits of palm trees and laurels
2. A unique species of bird found in South America that prefers dark, cavernous environments and employs echolocation for navigation while primarily consuming fruit from various trees
3. This nocturnal avian species inhabits caves in South America, using echolocation to locate food, mainly fruits, from palm and laurel trees

Etymology: The oilbird is named for a fact that surprised early observers: the chicks of this South American bird are so rich in fat that people in some regions reportedly rendered them for oil. The adults nest deep inside caves, where they navigate in total darkness by echolocation, clicking to map the cave walls much as bats do, though they are not bats but nightjar relatives. The name itself is a plain compound of "oil" and "bird," with no hidden history behind it. The image it describes, a living lamp of fat fed to the family by the parents, is the whole story: the word points directly at what people once extracted from the nestlings.