No Other Birds Do What This Bird Does

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Oilbirds come out at night, live in caves in huge colonies, and echolocate, but they aren't bats! Why would this South American bird have evolved to be so similar to our favorite flying mammals of the night?
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www.batcon.org...
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
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repository.si....
journals.plos....
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avibase.bsc-eo...
www.sciencedai...
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• Urutau (Nyctibius gris...
• Tracking and Counting ...
• Oilbird Calls

[@BizarreBeasts]

The pin club took a bit longer to open to this morning - we apologize for the delay! It’s now live so go get that oilbird pin 🦇🦉

[@askthebubble28]

Very spoopy bat vibes

[@albertonykus]

I did a chapter of my PhD on the evolution of the group uniting the oilbird with nightjars, frogmouths, etc. (Strisores), and it gets even weirder: nocturnal habits very well could have evolved multiple times in these birds. One of the lines of evidence for this is that in addition to these nocturnal groups, Strisores also includes the diurnal swifts and hummingbirds, and they are more closely related to some of the nocturnal birds than to others. (The oilbird for example is probably a closer relative to hummingbirds than to nightjars.) This could imply that the entire group was ancestrally nocturnal and then reverted to daylight-living in the line leading to swifts and hummingbirds, but... this type of reversion would usually be expected to leave some sign on the visual adaptations of these organisms, and as far as has been studied, hummingbirds seem to have similar vision to other diurnal birds, with no hint that they went through a nocturnal phase. Another potential hint at multiple nocturnal origins is the different adaptations for night vision seen in the nocturnal Strisores. As mentioned in the video, the oilbird has an unusually high density of photoreceptors in its eyes, which is not the case in other nocturnal Strisores whose visual systems have been studied. Meanwhile, nightjars and potoos have a reflective layer in the back of the eye to increase light capture, which is not found in the oilbird (nor apparently in frogmouths and owlet-nightjars). It may therefore be that Strisores had a propensity for becoming nocturnal in their evolutionary history, with different lineages hitting upon different pathways to doing so.

[@mbuhtz]

Thank you! I love specialist info ❤

[@DrBunnyMedicinal]

Wow, that sounds like it would have been fascinating to research!

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

Thanks for researching and sharing this amazing info with us laypeople

[@dio8636]

Thank you for the info! May I ask you how you would go about researching this kind of information? Was it mostly based on literature or did you do your own experiments, and if so, what kind?

[@albertonykus]

@@dio8636 My own research hasn't focused on sensory biology, so most of the information on eye structure and function is based on findings reported in the literature by other researchers. My work was primarily concerned with figuring the relatedness of different groups in Strisores. For that, I collected data on the anatomy of these birds from museum specimens and collaborated with colleagues who had collected genetic data on the same species. I then ran computational analyses to determine the which potential evolutionary relationships were best supported based on the data that we'd amassed.

[@seanbigay1042]

"I am VENGEANCE!" *chirp* "I am THE NIGHT!" *chirp* "I" *chirp* "AM" *chirp* "BATBIRD!" *chirp*

[@dracodracarys2339]

bats: "hey you ripped us off" birds: "hey you're mammals trying to be birds"

[@quitlife9279]

Insects: "Buzzzzzzzzzz"

[@orangeyewglad]

Very nice

[@stephenriggs8177]

I, too, am "pro nap."

[@restezlameme]

Same, friend 👍

[@dragonharris5465]

The spookiest thing about barn owls for me isn’t their looks, it’s the fact that their calls sound like tormented souls hunting for victims Fun video!

[@benmcreynolds8581]

I completely agree. They really do sound like tormented souls lol that's a perfect way to explain it.

[@SnakeCraftIsMagic]

Screech owls used to scare the hell out of me when I was a kid lol

[@evelynlamoy8483]

Their whiskers are so cute.

[@devinnall2284]

I was half expecting her to mention how they use them to navigate through narrow crevices similar to rats

[@comfortablynumb9342]

How did I get to be 49 years old and always loved nature shows but never heard of these birds? I had no idea there are birds that echo locate. Super cool.

[@cumulonimbusderie]

They’re strangely cute! Sweet and spooky guys, perfectly Halloween themed.

[@errorcrj110]

Thought the title would've been "This bizarre bird is just... Batty"

[@AccidentalNinja]

Convergent evolution is fascinating.

[@elevown]

You didnt mention their big whiskers- cant say ive seen those on a bird before! I assume that is also an adaptation to living in the dark, so they can locate stuff with their beak easier - like feeding their chick in total dark etc.

[@beandrake6383]

Bird trinity: frogmouth, potoo, oil bird.

[@markedis5902]

Barn owls aren’t spooky, they’re lovely.

[@southron_d1349]

The Oilbird has always been one of my favourites along with Nightjars and, of course, Owls.

[@DracarmenWinterspring]

3:28, 3:48 - put together makes it sound like they swallow avocados whole (but I don't think their necks are wide enough for that to even be possible...)

[@pattheplanter]

Wild species of avocado, not the cultivated ones with massive fruits. The majority of the diet in one Colombian group was found to be from the avocado family (Lauraceae) and the palm family (Arecaceae). They included Persea caerulea in the list of many laurel relatives, a presumably blue avocado with a fruit under 1 centimetre in diameter, whose local name is aguacatillo - the little avocado.

[@DracarmenWinterspring]

@@pattheplanter oh, you're right. I did a quick search of "wild avocado" but the first images made it look like they were still very big, at least as big as the pits of the cultivated ones, just with less edible stuff around the pit. But I missed the much smaller ones like the one you mentioned.

[@joanhoffman3702]

I have been to the oilbird cave on the property of the Asa Wright Nature Center in the Arima Valley, Trinidad. The birds roost in a cave with open ends and a fast moving stream going through lengthwise. To get into the cave, a ladder was lowered going across the gap between the cave and the end of the path. You then walked across stepping on the rungs of the ladder (not fun for an acrophobe!) it was worth a few minutes of terror. What an experience! And this was the most accessible oilbird cave known at the time.

[@SnakeCraftIsMagic]

I'm super jealous of your experience!

[@jakobraahauge7299]

As a kid a loved grandad's lexicon from the 1930 - one of the articles that stood out was about "fatbirds" (as these are kinda called in Danish) But my oh my how science has moved in a hundred-ish years!

[@octipuscrime]

Such an unusal bird. It shares many features to birds of prey yet it isnt a bird of prey. Even the pellets they spit out to form nests is something barn owls will do. It helps keep the eggs warm for isulation and the baterias help thr chick get exposed to them sooner to build their immunity.

[@buggedout7419]

I got to see them in person when I went to Ecuador! Truly special creatures❤

[@sainjawoof3506]

The oilbird is absolutely amazing and stunningly beautiful. Trinidad and Tobago have such an abundance of unique birds. 🪶

[@andrewxzvxcud2]

ofc the first comment that always shows up gives away the video... delete ur comment pls so future people dont have to suffer like me bc of u

[@sainjawoof3506]

​@@andrewxzvxcud2do you need a clue or a whaaaaaaaaambulance? Don't read the comments, problem solved.🙄

[@venuzcraig7108]

My bf n I just found an oil bird he seems injured tho just sitting n not moving I'm worried for him

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Beautiful? Meh. Maybe if you’re another oil bird…

[@sainjawoof3506]

@@NinjaRunningWild more beautiful than most of humanity.

[@emordnilap4747]

Oohh, they DO echolocate! I thought they must when she said they sometimes live in total darkness. Didn't know any birds used echolocation, that's really cool.

[@HetareKing]

Wait... the oily boid doesn't catch the woim at all?

[@benmcreynolds8581]

It seems natural that convergent evolution aspects would have occurred with certain nocturnal birds with specific diets. This is facinating

[@solsoman102]

i would normally never shill for a company but i’ve been using manta sleep masks since i backed them on their first kickstarter and they just keep getting better and they’ve really improved my sleep it’s really cool to see them sponsoring you guys

[@StarSong936]

As an interesting side note: Humans can learn to echo locate as well. Molly Burk, who is blind, has a video on that. I have heard of oil birds before, but I don't really know much. Thanks for an informative and entertaining video.

[@OlyChickenGuy]

The first time I heard about Oilbirds was in a book I found on the side of a well travelled road which consisted of many beautiful paintings of birds, but AWFUL information and editing. On the page for Oilbirds it had such mistakes as a marker indicating an eye with the title "EYES", but the description underneath was, "The bodies of young oilbirds used to be farmed for lamp oil, which is how the species got its unusual name." Thank you for teaching me more about Oilbirds than the alleged Encyclopaedia of Birds.

[@stephanieyee9784]

I'd not heard of these birds before but they are quite amazing. They have owlish beaks which are really cute and their plummage is beautiful.

[@elliotweir3452]

The Atiu swiftlets are awesome too, funnily enough the only native mammal to the cook islands is a fruit bat, but it's not found on the island of Atiu

[@starrywizdom]

I love potoos & frogmouths, but haven't learned much about oilbirds before. Thanks!

[@ThatJaymsWisdom]

I love this channel so freaking much! This was fascinating!

[@zolacnomiko]

How have I never ever heard of these birds before, I feel like everyone on earth has let me down, like gosh wow how weird and cool and awesome!! (It's pretty difficult to find an animal I haven't heard of before.)

[@me0101001000]

This bird is the Avian version of Green Day

[@stephanieparker1250]

These birds have intensely sensitive eyes and only leave their dark roosts at night.. “shines a massively bright light at them” 🙈🙈

[@craigrobbins2463]

She made them seem so scary, "they leave their cave to feed" like they're a dracula.

[@MK-rc3pq]

By chance we came across a cave in Peru which had dozens, possibly more by the sound, of them inside. The noise at 2:53 of them all was something to witness. What made it also interesting was the fact that the cave floor was covered with seeds, and their shoots. Also, they a larger than they appear in this video.

[@chey7691]

When i think of nightjars I'm reminded of the Potoo bird. Not the most attractive name, and they are ill regarded by locals because of their calls (that sound like someone sobbing). But ironically one of my favorites, and they look like a eternally surprised sock puppet.

[@SnakeCraftIsMagic]

I thought they were Nightjars by their look, turns out to be a relative! But otherwise I had never heard of these before! I am excited to learn about a new critter to obsess over 😂

[@DessMelissa]

They are so CUTE!

[@AdamYJ]

So, they're fruit bat birds.

[@infinitivez]

Wow... WOW... WOOOW! I never knew there was a nocturnal cave dwelling bird.

[@norarivkis2513]

Check out swiftlets, too! I don't think they're nocturnal (though maybe crepuscular), but they definitely live in caves and echolocate.

[@angelalewis3645]

Oilbirds would make fantastic D&D critters!

[@christianhunt7382]

Love bizarre beasts! Being a bizarre beast..

[@mackea1]

Wonder if they are possibly florescent. Aka reflect UV light in theor feathers. Because many birds can see UV light. Since this species only comes out at night and do not have the bright feathers of other tropical birds. I just wonder if anyone has tried to shine a UV lamp on any specimens. It turns out several animals are UV reflective. Scientist should start testing if everything is to some degree. Fascinating animal the OilBird

[@pattheplanter]

Check out the thesis from 2022: "Characterization of the sexual dimorphism in oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis)" by Andrés Felipe Robayo Salek. UV reflection is not the same as fluorescence, these are often muddled in science news. Fluorescence is the change of the wavelength of the incoming light so that it becomes a different colour before it is emitted, usually by exciting a molecule which then emits a different wavelength when it gets bored again. The usual examples are where invisible UV light becomes a visible light such as green, yellow, blue or red.

[@ardellolnes5663]

Whoa! Your pendant evolved! Bat birds and evolving pendants! Sweet! Great video ty

[@TheCozyYellowCottage]

Fun to learn about the oilbird ❤

[@jmcosmos]

Dang, but they resemble American nighthawks! (The two are indeed related.)

[@susaniacuone5758]

The photo of the 'potoo' looked more like our Australian tawny frogmouth

[@sijoneyyan]

First time watching this channel, I'm sold. Looking forward to a more videos. PS: discovered this channel from Eons post

[@catboy_official]

They're so cute 🥺

[@stiffk666]

Those eyes are beautiful. If there was a way to make mine like them that didn't involve tattooing the eyeball, cringe, I'd definitely do that

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

Eat fatty fruits, team up with your friends to find said fruit, live so deep in a cave that nobody can find or bother you.... These birds have it figured out!

[@elizabethrayne5179]

duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh Batbird!!!!!!!

[@jacksonstarky8288]

Another bizarre beast I'd never heard of before! And I'll be checking out Manta Sleep too... I've been working nights for over six years now, so I can relate to the oilbirds.

[@NewMessage]

"Oil Bird Man' doesn't have the same ring to it...

[@Em4gdn1m]

LOVE my new pin!

[@Zappygunshot]

Just spitballing here, but having really really dark eyes means very very little light escapes them. In other words, it likely translates to very very good vision in darkness.

[@skyrat3816]

The first picture that came up in the video, night jar popped up into my mind and was weird to here that the oilbird feeds off fruit. Even though that mouth looks more insectivorous. Which then brought flash backs of, what I'm sure was, a night jar encounter when I was out in the garden at dusk the other month. We get a lot of bats darting through our garden to snatch insects around the trees, but this one was paler and had a blood curdling raspy caw and I stood there frozen in terror as this thing fluttered towards me. Is fitting that night jars are in the same family as its sleep paralysis demon cousin the potoo.

[@pigeonshit440]

birds? creeeeepy birds??? i might have to sign up for the pin club

[@Frogmood]

new favorite bird unlocked

[@mecahhannah]

Awesome as always thanks

[@everybodyyogastudio212]

Your necklace is COO0O0l!!! Ummmm what is is and where can i buy one?😂❤😊

[@DefektoPrime]

How long have you been doing the post-credit bonus facts? This is the first time i have seen it, and i like it :)

[@setharellano4126]

It looks like they have lil whiskers in some images

[@marekvincibr5884]

Oh this is where that thing in the Veins of earth comes from.

[@kick8175]

*whispers* I'm Batbird.

[@williambeckett6336]

Basically a form of convergent evolution.

[@phionella7]

Dang, I did miss this, thank you PBS eons, for the reminder. Although it did slightly confuse me when I heard Sarah.😊

[@joeyho5134]

Incredible and beautiful.

[@scraps7624]

Omg I love this channel now, can't believe I just found this

[@sciencenerd7639]

great video, thanks

[@maillardsbearcat]

Aw I liked the adorable pose she was making in the original thumbnail

[@jacktaylor6155]

Was there supposed to be an ominous line before that cheerful upbeat themesong??

[@YouTubeallowedmynametobestolen]

Here's a pet peeve of mine: "Approximately one in five mammals is a bat." I have seen this kind of ambiguous statement a number of times. Does it mean that one in five mammal SPECIES is a bat species? Or that one in five individual living organisms that are mammals are bats?

[@vincentx2850]

Even after the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, we mammals still rule the night.

[@SallyWozniak]

The pin is so cute !!!!!!!!!

[@RobertGotschall-y2f]

Oil Birds are Strisores, as are nighthawks, swifts, and hummingbirds. All but the Oil Birds are great night-flying insect eaters. No evolutionary ladders for this bunch.

[@willylukito7983]

Please make a video about Linuparus somniosus. There is no much known about this species

[@bringmemyflail1321]

Today I learned 20% of mammals are bats, and 20% of this channel's content is paid sponsorships.

[@slayer2450]

They're just so funny looking

[@desmondbaptiste861]

Represent from Trinidad and Tobago👋🏽🇹🇹

[@UrsulaSeymour]

I'm so happy that I found this channel! 😍😍

[@apocalypse487]

Fyi, generally don't feed avocados to birds. They're really bad for them.

[@bbbenj]

Thanks for the bonus ❤

[@merlapittman5034]

Beautiful and fascinating bird!

[@arthurmartin4616]

I read manta sleep as manta sheep for a second. Frankly a missed opportunity if you ask me.

[@brendakrieger7000]

Very fascinating🦉🦇

[@user-yw9mw9hv8o]

Convergent evolution

[@mimimaitri1]

1 in 5 mammal species is bat? Or 1 in 5 individuals is a bat?

[@BizarreBeasts]

Great question! 1 in 5 described species of mammals! I bet in total mammal biomass they are probably also statistically abundant, but I don't have those numbers right now. - Sarah

[@orangeyewglad]

Nature is so beautiful

[@wweturtle]

Does anyone know what pin is closest to Sarah's left shoulder? I recognize the Pumpkin Toadlette, the Frogmouth, and the Platypus. But not that one.

[@mbuhtz]

Would that be the hoatzin?

[@wweturtle]

@@mbuhtz I don't think so, unless it's not a bizarre beast pin. The Hoatzin has the Bird on a square background.

[@pattheplanter]

Snail kite? Edited to add question mark as it doesn't have the snail as well, but it looks like the snail kite. Prototype unreleased pin?

[@wweturtle]

@@pattheplanter I didn't think about prototypes. That would make sence

[@aurelias9539]

From the ad I thought the answer was going to be it sleeps

[@llsilvertail561]

I love oilbirds sm. They’re great

[@Jaxck77]

That hair is still distractingly good x)

[@likebot.]

Absolutely. Very mesmerizing.

[@kyle98452]

Please make a video about leafy seadragons!!

[@neomt2]

Wow these birds can eat avocados that are deadly toxic to parrots

[@clintonbehrends4659]

oil birds are my favorite birds

[@Unholy_Louie]

6:25 ... Where is the "bird" parts in this picture of a bird? Won't lie, I'd definitely like to poke that little bird puddle though :P

[@BizarreBeasts]

Haha, we had the same question at first! There are actually two chicks in that picture (!), one in the front and one directly behind it. You can see both of their beaks at the right side of the fuzz. They do really blend together.

[@Swampdragon102]

Bat owls? Bowls?!

[@windlessoriginals1150]

One in five mammals is a bat - interesting!