Most frugivores either supplement their diet with small amounts of animal food or other protein sources (e.g., cedar waxwings, Bombycilla cedrorum; Witmer, 1998) or are able to subsist on little dietary protein (e.g.,
oilbirds, Steatornis caripensis; Snow, 1962).
The most traditional examples are guano and bat droppings, and there are also birds, such as the guacharo, or
oilbird (Steatornis caripensis), of the caves of South America, that introduce the remains of the fruit they feed on, and the dozen or so species of swiftlets (Collocalia [=Aerodramus] salangana, and other members of the same genus) that nest in caves in southeast Asia.
Mousebirds; Turacos; Old World Cuckoos; Coucals; New World Cuckoos; Hoatzin; Anis; Ground Cuckoos; Barn Owls; Owls;
Oilbird; Frogmouths Podardidae.
Digestive efficiency and rate of food passage in
Oilbird nestlings.
The fruits of Oenocarpus bataua, Euterpe precatoria and some species of Bactris are consumed and dispersed by the
oilbird (Steatornis caripensis), that can travel up to 73.5 km in one day and colonies of oil birds can transport millions of palm seeds annually (Tannenbaum & Wrege, 1978; Snow & Snow, 1978; Holland et al., 2009).
Although dispersal of this palm is also effected by several animal species, including the
oilbird (Steatornis caripensis) (Snow & Snow, 1978) and the capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) (Stevenson et al., 1991), the role of humans may have been decisive to its present distribution and overall abundance.
Besides bats, other mammals such as whales, dolphins, shrews and tenrecs as well as birds such as
oilbirds and swiftlets are known to use echolocation to navigate, investigate their habitat and search for food.
Seeds are primarily dispersed by
Oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis) and several species of Toucans (Ramphastidae).
