Jacamars | Galbulidae

Glansvogels | Jacamares

Three species in three genera reach Mexico and Central America, where they live in humid lowland forest, along forest edges and riverbanks; the Dusky-backed Jacamar occurs only in eastern Panama. Jacamars are slender birds with a long, straight, needle-sharp bill, short legs with two toes forward and two back, and in most species a long tail. The upperparts gleam metallic green or bronze, while the belly is rufous or dark. They sit upright and still for long periods on an open branch, sallying out after flying insects, especially butterflies, dragonflies, wasps and bees. Back on the perch the prey is beaten against the wood to remove wings and sting. The calls are high, clear whistles and trills; the Great Jacamar gives a long, plaintive whistle. The nest is a tunnel dug by the birds into an earth bank, a riverbank or a termite nest, unlined, holding two to four glossy white eggs. Both parents incubate and feed the young. Together with the puffbirds, the jacamars form an order of their own.