Jacamar
The jacamars are a family, Galbulidae, of near passerine birds from tropical South and Central America, extending up to Mexico. The order contains five genera and 18 species. The family is closely related to the puffbirds, another Neotropical family, and the two families are often separated into their own order away from the Piciformes, instead being placed in the Galbuliformes. They are principally birds of low altitude woodlands and forests, and particularly of forest and edge and canopy.
Description
The jacamars are small to medium sized perching birds ranging between 14-34 cm in length and weighing between 17-75 g. They are glossy elegant birds with long bills and tails. In appearance and behaviour they show resemblances to the Old World bee-eaters, as most ariel insectivores tend to have short wide bills as opposed to long thin ones. The legs are short and weak, and the feet are zygodactyl. Their plumage is often bright and highly iridescent, although it is quite dull in a few species. There are minor differences in plumage based on sex, males often having a white patch on the breast.
Behaviour
Diet and feeding
Jacamars are insectivores, taking a variety of insect prey (many specialize on butterflies and moths) by hawking in the air. Birds sit in favoured perches and sally towards the prey when it is close enough. Only the Great Jacamar varies from the rest of the family, taking prey by gleaning and occasionally taking small lizards and spiders.
Breeding
The breeding systems of jacamars have not been studied in depth. They are thought to generally be monogamous, although a few species are thought to sometimes engage in cooperative breeding with several adults sharing duties. The family nests in holes either in the soil or in arboreal termite mounds. Ground nesting species usually nest in the banks of rivers (or more recently, roads), although if these are not available they will nest in the soil held by the roots of fallen trees. Bank-nesting jacamars can sometimes be loosely colonial. Clutch sizes are between 1-4 eggs, with 2-4 being more common. Both parents participate in incubation. Little is known about the incubation times of most species, although it lasts for between 19–26 days in the Rufous-tailed Jacamar. Chicks are born with down feathers, unique among the piciformes.
Species
FAMILY: GABULIDAE Genus: Galbalcyrhynchus
White-eared Jacamar, Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis
Chestnut Jacamar, Galbalcyrhynchus purusianus
Genus: Brachygalba
Dusky-backed Jacamar, Brachygalba salmoni
Pale-headed Jacamar, Brachygalba goeringi
Brown Jacamar, Brachygalba lugubris
White-throated Jacamar, Brachygalba albogularis
Genus: Jacamaralcyon
Three-toed Jacamar, Jacamaralcyon tridactyla
Genus: Galbula
Yellow-billed Jacamar, Galbula albirostris
Blue-cheeked Jacamar, Galbula cyanicollis
Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Galbula ruficauda
Green-tailed Jacamar, Galbula galbula
Coppery-chested Jacamar, Galbula pastazae
Bluish-fronted Jacamar, Galbula cyanescens
White-chinned Jacamar, Galbula tombacea
Purplish Jacamar, Galbula chalcothorax
Bronzy Jacamar, Galbula leucogastra
Paradise Jacamar, Galbula dea
Genus: Jacamerops
Great Jacamar, Jacamerops aureus
Translation of "Jacamar"
Danish: Glansfugle, German: Glanzvögel, Spanish: Galbulidae, Esperanto: Galbuledoj, French: Galbulidae, Croatian: Jakamari, Georgian: იაკამარასებრნი, Lithuanian: Žakamariniai, Hungarian: Jakamárfélék, Dutch: Glansvogels, Japanese: キリハシ科 (Sibley), Norwegian (Bokmål): Jakamarer, Norwegian (Nynorsk): Jakamarar, Polish: Złotopióry, Romanian: Galbulidae, Russian: Бормотушки, Slovenian: Bleščavci, Finnish: Jakamarit, Swedish: Jakamarer, Turkish: Jakamar, Ukrainian: Бурмотушки.
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