Steatornis caripensis
Oilbirds send out sharp clicks and listen for the echoes while flying through pitch-black caves. Unlike the ultrasonic calls of many bats, much of an Oilbird's sonar falls within the range human ears can hear.
GPS studies found Oilbirds travelling far from their caves and resting in forest trees, where they disperse large fruit seeds. That movement can help connect plant populations across fragmented tropical landscapes.
Researchers have proposed Oilbirds as exceptionally important long-distance seed dispersers, but their exact ecosystem contribution varies with landscape, diet, and where seeds are deposited.
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Follow the Oilbird GPS study βLinks go directly to conservation organizations.Tracking found a much wider forest life.
Tagged birds spent only about every third day in the cave on average. On other days, they rested quietly in rainforest trees and regurgitated seeds outside.
Later work found Oilbirds can carry unusually large seeds over long distances, a service once associated with now-extinct megafauna.
Read the open movement-ecology paper β