The Cave of the Guácharo
Deep in a Venezuelan cave, thousands of unseen birds shriek in the dark, and local people once believed it was a place of spirits.
What was reported
In 1799, the explorer Alexander von Humboldt entered a great cave near Caripe, guided by local people who were wary of going deep inside. In the darkness, thousands of birds screamed and clicked, a sound he described as deafening.
Local people associated the cave with the spirits of the dead and would not go far into it. The birds were known as guácharos.
Explanations offered
Humboldt described the bird for science: the oilbird, which lives in caves and feeds on fruit at night. Oilbirds find their way in total darkness using echolocation, making clicking sounds that humans can hear, and they screech loudly when disturbed. The cave is now Venezuela's first national monument.
- When
- Described by Humboldt in 1799
- Where
- Caripe, Monagas, Venezuela
- Witnesses
- Local people and the explorer Alexander von Humboldt
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.