Galbula ruficauda
The Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda) is a stunning avian jewel, renowned for its iridescent plumage and specialized aerial insectivorous habits. Measuring approximately 23-28 cm (9-11 in) in length and weighing 22-38 grams, it boasts brilliant bronze-green upperparts that shimmer in the sunlight, contrasting sharply with its rich rufous underparts, tail, and flanks. A long, needle-like black bill, perfectly adapted for snatching insects in flight, is a key identification mark. Males ...
Found in lowland humid tropical and subtropical forests, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth. Typically occurs from sea level up to 1000 meters, occasionally reaching 1500 meters in some areas.
Feeds primarily on flying insects, including butterflies, moths, dragonflies, bees, wasps, beetles, and flies, caught in mid-air through sallying from a perch.
This diurnal species is often observed perching motionless for extended periods on exposed branches, usually at low to mid-levels, patiently scanning for prey. Its primary foraging strategy is 'sallying,' where it darts out in swift, agile flight to snatch flying insects mid-air, returning to its...
The Rufous-tailed Jacamar boasts an extensive neotropical distribution, breeding and residing year-round from southern Mexico (including states like Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo) south throughout Central America, covering Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa R...
Least Concern
- The Rufous-tailed Jacamar's vibrant iridescent green and bronze plumage is structural, meaning its colors are produced by the microscopic feather structure reflecting light, not by pigments. - They are specialized aerial insectivores, capable of snatching swift-flying insects like dragonflies a...