guacharo

[ gwah-chuh-roh ]

noun

, plural gua·cha·ros.

1. a nocturnal, fruit-eating, South American bird, Steatornis caripensis, the young of which yield an oil derived from their fat.

guacharo

/ ˈɡwɑːtʃəˌrəʊ /

noun

1. another name for oilbird

Word History and Origins

Origin of guacharo¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from South American Spanish guácharo, from guacho “vagabond,” from Quechua wakcha “orphan, poor person” (perhaps because of the bird's sad-sounding cries)

Word History and Origins

Origin of guacharo¹

C19: from Spanish guácharo

Example Sentences

Guacharo, gw�′ch�-rō, n. the oil-bird, a South American nocturnal frugivorous goatsucker.

From Project Gutenberg

In habits the guacharo is wholly nocturnal, slumbering by day in deep and dark caverns which it frequents in vast numbers.

From Project Gutenberg

The hard, indigestible seed swallowed by the guacharo are found in quantities on the floor and the ledges of the caverns it frequents, where many of them for a time vegetate, the plants thus growing being etiolated from want of light, and, according to travellers, forming a singular feature of the gloomy scene which these places present.

From Project Gutenberg

The guacharo is said to build a bowl-like nest of clay, in which it lays from two to four white eggs, with a smooth but lustreless surface, resembling those of some owls.

From Project Gutenberg

Better known by his stage name "The Count of Guacharo," Rausseo smiled widely and held up a peace sign for journalists who laughed heavily at his sometimes-vulgar jokes at a recent press conference.

From Time Magazine Archive