Oilbirds: a species that was once boiled alive and harvest for their fat!

As a bird lover myself, I think I know a lot about birds. So when I first came across this fun fact - a species of bird that was once collected so they could be boiled alive and harvested for their fat - I was sure it was #fakenews.

But lo and behold, this bizarre fun fact is absolutely TRUE!

Meet the bird in question: the aptly-named OILBIRD!

Image credit: Panama Birds & Wildlife

But why were they harvested for their fat? And are they really that amazingly fatty in the first place?

Well for starters, in the past, many animals were hunted for their fat.

In fact, many of us may be aware of the classic literature text, Moby Dick, in which several sailors meet their demise over the course of a whale-hunting expedition. This is because, back in the day, whale oil was a precious commodity and used to make items like candles and more.

Similarly, like the whales in Moby Dick, Oilbirds were hunted for their fat.

And unfortunately, this wasn't a pleasant process for the birds. (Duh!) The birds were hunted, captured, and then boiled alive to extract the oil. The oil from these birds were of great quality and was used for cooking, lighting, and even in cosmetics such as face cream!

But something to note is that it was mostly the chicks were boiled alive for their fat. This could be because the chicks were had a higher fat content than the adults, or because they were easier to catch and process.

Image credit: Flickr. A newly hatched Oilbird chick. When grown, the adult bird weighs 350–475 g (12.3–16.8 oz) but the chicks can weigh considerably more, at up to 600 grams (21 oz), when their parents feed them a good deal of fruit before they fly! (This chick has a long way to go, though!)

When did this practice begin, and end?

We don’t have conclusive data for when the Oilbird was first hunted by mankind for their fat.

Venezuela’s indigenous people had long been well acquainted with the birds whose precious fat could be used for everything from flavoring food to fueling those torches.

Each year, during a period that they called the oil-harvest, Venezuela’s indigenous people hiked into the cave and used poles to destroy the nests, killing baby Oilbirds by the thousands, and then rendered their fat into earthen pots.

Fortunately for the Oilbirds (as a species, if not as individuals), the indigenous people believed the souls of their ancestors dwelled in the deepest recesses of the cave, and refused to disturb them, which meant that only the birds closer to the mouth of the cave met the unfortunate fate of becoming torch fuel.

Image credit: American Bird Conservatory

The harvesting of oilbirds for their fat continued until the latter half of the 20th century, when the population of the species started to decline and regulations were put in place to protect them. Today, the oilbird is protected by law and the population is slowly starting to recover.

Image credit: Science Friday. The oilbird is mainly reddish-brown with white spots on the nape and wings. Lower parts are cinnamon-buff with white diamond-shaped spots edged in black, these spots start small towards the throat and get larger towards the back. The stiff tail feathers are a rich brown spotted with white on either side.

A unique bird - and not just because these fatty birdies were harvested for oil!

There’s a LOT more that makes the Oilbird so special, besides its former use as a source of oil!

For starters, it's one of the only species of birds that's active at night. That's right, while most birds are sound asleep, the Oilbird is wide awake and ready to party! Hooray!

In fact, they hold the record as the only nocturnal flying fruit-eating birds in the world. There is another bird species, called the kakapo, that is al a fruit-eating nocturnal bird. However, unlike the Oilbird, which is capable of flight, the kakapo is flightless.

It’s a small distinction and one that most of us won’t be able to appreciate. But consider how most other flying nocturnal birds are creatures like owls that eat mice and other small mammals - the Oilbird is unique in its diet.

Image credit: eBird. These birds have feet that are small and almost useless, other than for clinging to vertical surfaces. The long wings have evolved to make it capable of hovering and twisting flight, which enables it to navigate through restricted areas of its caves.

There’s more: just like bats, these birds use echolocation!

But that's not all - the Oilbird is also one of the few species of birds that use echolocation, just like bats! That means that it uses sounds to navigate through dark caves, where it makes its home.

You may have thought that only bats use echolocation, but the Oilbird proves that birds can also have this amazing ability. It's a real hoot, if you'll pardon the pun. The Oilbird uses sounds to navigate its way through dark caves, where it makes its home. It's like having a built-in GPS system!

But how exactly does the Oilbird's echolocation work? Well, it's pretty simple. The bird emits a series of sounds, and then listens for the echoes that bounce back. From the echoes, it can determine the distance and location of objects around it. It's like playing a game of echo tag, but with way more importance on the line.

Image credit: Chris Anderson. The eyes of oilbirds are highly adapted to nocturnal foraging. The eyes are small, but the pupils are relatively large, allowing the highest light-gathering capacity of any bird

And let's not forget how important this skill is for the Oilbird. After all, navigating through a dark cave can be a real challenge, even for a bird. But with its echolocation, the Oilbird can find its way with ease!

Plus, the Oilbird's echolocation skills also help it to avoid obstacles, like rocks and stalactites, that could cause it harm. And it's not just the Oilbird that benefits - its young ones also use echolocation to find their way around the cave and locate their parents.

Image credit: BBC. Although they have specially adapted vision to forage by sight, they are among the few birds known to supplement sight by echolocation in sufficiently poor light conditions, using a series of sharp audible clicks for this purpose. The only other birds known to do this are some species of swift.

One of the fastest birds in the world

And if that's not impressive enough, the Oilbird is also an incredible flier. It can fly up to speeds of 60 km/hr, making it one of the fastest birds in the world. But watch out, it's not just fast - the Oilbird is also incredibly agile - able to make sharp turns and swoop through narrow passages with ease.

These birds mostly nest and live in deep, dark caves full of twists and turns, and stalactites and stalagmites (though I can never tell the difference between those two!)

In addition to their cool ability to echolocate, boy, do these birds make the most of their cave homes! These birds have truly adapted to life in the dark.

I hope you learned some really cool fun facts about these birds today. After learning so much about them, they might just be my new favourite bird ever!

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