Great Jacamar

The great jacamar, Jacamerops aureus, is a striking bird, the largest of its family, Galbulidae. It is a robust creature, measuring 25 to 30 cm in length and weighing between 57 and 70 grams. The adult male is adorned with a dazzling metallic green plumage with golden overtones, a blueish tinge on the chin, forehead, and tail, and a purple copper hue on the back. The lower throat is white, transitioning to a deep rufous on the rest of the underparts. The primaries are black, the tail blue-black, the area below the beak black, and the legs a dark horn color. Females are similar to males but lack the white throat spot.

Identification Tips

To identify the great jacamar, look for its bright metallic green upperparts with gold overtones and the distinctive blueish and purple copper tinges. The white lower throat and deep rufous underparts are also key features. The bird's zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward and two back, aid in its arboreal lifestyle.

Habitat

This species thrives in subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests up to 500 meters in altitude. It favors the middle levels of the canopy and the shaded edges of the rainforest, often near stream banks.

Distribution

The great jacamar is found across a range of countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Behaviour

Noted for its patience, the great jacamar often sits motionless for extended periods, making it a challenge to spot. It is a skilled hunter, catching insects and spiders in flight or from vegetation, which it then beats against a branch before consumption. Occasionally, it may also consume small vertebrates like lizards.

Song & calls

Unfortunately, the guide does not provide information on the song and calls of the great jacamar.

Breeding

Breeding occurs from March to May or June. The great jacamar nests in chambers within termite nests, situated 3 to 15 meters above the ground. Both parents incubate the glossy white eggs during the day, while the female takes the night shift. The incubation period lasts about 20–23 days, and the chicks, covered in white down, fledge in about 21–26 days.

Similar Species

The guide does not provide information on species similar to the great jacamar.

Diet and Feeding

The great jacamar's diet consists primarily of insects and spiders, which it adeptly captures in flight or plucks from vegetation. It is also known to consume small lizards.

Conservation status

The great jacamar is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. It has an extremely large range and, despite a decreasing population, the decline is not rapid enough to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable status. The population size is not well documented but is not believed to be below the threshold for Vulnerable.