Great jacamar | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Piciformes |
Family: | Galbulidae |
Genus: |
Jacamerops Lesson, 1830 |
Species: | J. aureus |
Binomial name | |
Jacamerops aureus (Statius Müller, 1776) |
The great jacamar (Jacamerops aureus) is a species of bird in the family Galbulidae. It is placed in the monotypic genus Jacamerops. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, where its natural habitat is subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests.
It measures 29.5 to 30 cm (11.61 to 11.81 in) in length and weighs between 63 and 70 g (2.22 and 2.47 oz) . The adult male chin, cheeks and upper region are all bright metallic green with gold overtones, with a blueish tinge on the chin, forehead and tail and purple copper on the back. The lower part of the throat is white and the rest of the lower region is deep rufous. The primaries are black, the tail is blue-black, below the beak is black, and the legs are dark horn-colored. The female resembles the male, but has no white spot on the throat.
Its natural habitat is the natural tropical forest to 500 m (1,640 ft) altitude. It lives in the middle levels of the canopy and inside the shaded edges of the rainforest, usually on the banks of streams.
It feeds on insects caught in flight, and on spiders on vegetation.
It breeds from March to May or June. Its nest is a chamber made of a termite tree, at a height between 3 and 15 m (10 and 49 ft).