| Cueva del Guácharo National Park | |
| Iucn Category: | II |
| Photo Width: | 240 |
| Map: | Venezuela |
| Relief: | yes |
| Map Width: | 240 |
| Location: | Monagas, Venezuela |
| Nearest City: | Caripe |
| Coordinates: | 10.1999°N -63.6397°W |
| Area: | 627 km² |
| Governing Body: | INPARQUES |
The Guácharo Cave National Park is located 12km (07miles) from the town of Caripe, Monagas, Venezuela. It has as its centerpiece a large limestone cave.
The cave was visited in 1799 by Alexander von Humboldt, who realised that the thousands of oilbirds (in Spanish; scientific name Steatornis caripensis) which live in the cave belonged to a species unknown to science. Humboldt named the frugivorous, nocturnal species after the town of Caripe.[1]
The cave is a limestone cavern over 10km (10miles) long, with a number of large chambers and spectacular rock formations. The temperature inside the cave generally remains near and the humidity at 100%.
See main article: Oilbird. Oilbirds are fruit-eating birds that live within the first section of the cave; they leave at night in search of food. The Spanish name is onomatopoeic, and comes from an old Castilian word for one who shrieks or cries, because of their characteristic sound. They are brown with black and white spots, have a long tail and bristles around their beak. They measure around 48cm (19inches) in length, including the tail. The produce an organic layer in the cave called guano, formed by excrement and vomited seeds, which provide the basic nutrients for the cave's ecosystem.
The most important daily event in the park occurs in the evening, as dusk falls, when the birds exit the cave in great flocks, in search of food. Visitors are able to view the birds leaving the cave.
The cave was designated as Venezuela's first National Monument in 1949.
The National Park was created in 1975 to conserve the cave and the forest ecosystem where the oilbirds feed. The altitude of the national park is NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet).There are 367 species of bird in the national park, which has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA). Although the oilbird is not an endangered species, several other resident birds fall into this category, for example the Venezuelan flowerpiercer (Diglossa venezuelensis) and the Venezuelan sylph. The national park is part of Cordillera de Caripe Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) site, along with another IBA, the .[2]
Near to the cave entrance is the Humboldt Museum.[3] It offers information about the cave, the national park, the oilbird, and Alexander von Humboldt.