Jacamar
A glittering green, iridescent,straight-billed hummingbird the size
of a thrush or mockingbird - such would bean apt description of one of the more bril-liant jacamars. These, however, are moreclosely related to woodpeckers, toucans, bar-bets, and puffbirds than to hummingbirds.
The jacamar’s long, slender, sharp billseems poorly fitted for its aerial insect-catching niche and for excavating its nestchamber—a broad, flat bill would seemmore efficient. However, the long bill canreach across the wings of a butterfly ordragonfly (which if seized might break andrelease the insect) to grasp the body firmly.Moreover, it keeps the flailing wings awayfrom the jacamar’s face while it knocks itsvictim against a branch until the wings flut-ter earthward it also holds stinging waspsat a safe distance.
Jacamars appear to be charged with irre-pressible vitality. While perching on anexposed twig above a stream, path or openspace in woods or thicket, they constantlyturn their bright-eyed heads from side toside, looking for flying insects which theydart out to seize. The high, thin notes of theircalls convey a sense of urgency. For birdsthat are not true songbirds, their vocal per-formances are surprisingly complex.
Jacamars nest in tunnels which they digin vertical banks or sloping ground or inhard, black termite mounds. The Rufous-tailed jacamar, the best-known species, mayuse both sites in the same locality. The malenot only helps his mate to excavate butfrequently feeds her, to the accompanimentof much singing. The horizontal burrow,29-79cm (11-3 tin) long, according to thespecies, ends in a chamber where 2-4 whiteeggs lie on the bare floor, which is sooncovered by a growing accumulation ofregurgitated beetles’ shards and other indi-gestible parts of insects. By day the sexesincubate alternately, often for an hour ortwo at a time. The female occupies the nestby night. Unlike most birds of their order(Piciformes), the nestlings hatch with a thincoat of long white down. They are nour-ished wholly with insects by both parents,and soon become loquacious, practicingsongs of the adults while they await theirmeals. Fledgling Rufous-tailed jacamars donot return to sleep in the burrow, but fouryoung Pale-headed jacamars in Venezuelacontinued for several months to lodge withtheir parents in their longer tunnel.
The eight species of Galbula are a glitteringgolden green or purple glossed with green,with chestnut or white underparts. Excep-tional in the family is the long-tailed Paradise jacamar of Amazonia and theGuianas with bronzy black plumage.
The Chestnut jacamar has a pink,kingfisher-like bill and the Three-toedjacamar of Brazil is a small bird with achestnut head and blackish and grayishbody. (Other jacamars have four toes, twodirected forward and two backward.) TheGreat jacamar is a stout bird with heavierbill, golden green and rufous, like some ofits smaller relatives.
Puffbirds are so named because their largeheads, short tails and often loose plumagegive them a stocky aspect. Their bills areusually stout and hooked at the end, lessoften tapering and pointed. Their habit of resting motionless and often permitting aclose approach by humans causes theunperceptive to call them stupid. Actually,they are wisely conserving energy, whilewith keen eyes they scrutinize surroundingvegetation. Suddenly they fly out, perhapsto snatch a green insect from green foliage20M (65ft) away.
Exceptional in the family are the swallow-wings, which are short-tailed, long-winged,blue-black birds with white rumps and cin-namon chestnut abdomens.
White-whiskered puffbirds are among thefew species with sexual differences inplumage, the males being largely chestnut-brown and cinnamon, the females moreolive and grayish. Although they live chieflyat mid heights of the rain forest, they nestin short, descending tunnels in the forestfloor. On a bed of dead leaves they lay twoor three white eggs, which the femaleincubates through a long morning, the malefor the remainder of the time. The blind,wholly naked nestlings are at first broodedby their father and fed by their mother. Afterdaytime brooding ceases, the father helps tofeed the nestlings for the remainder of their20 days underground.
Most social of the puffbirds are the fourspecies of n un birds. Their pointed, bright redor yellow bills contrast with their somber,black or dark gray plumage. The calls ofthe White-fronted nunbird are extremelyvaried, ranging from wooden rattles to notessoft and deep. Up to io perch in a row ona high horizontal branch or vine and lift uptheir heads to shout all together, for 15 or20 minutes, in loud, ringing voices. Theirlong burrows in sloping or nearly levelground are lined with dead leaves and havea collar of leaves and sticks around theentrance. Three or four adults, probablyparents with older, nonbreeding offspring,feed three nestlings. Blind and naked, thenestlings toddle up the long entrance tunnelto receive their meals at the mouth. Whenabout 3o days old they fly up into the trees.
The four species of Notharchus, boldly pat-terned in black and white, use stout blackbills to carve nest chambers deep into hard,black termite mounds. Male and femaleshare this task, and later take turns incubat-ing two or three white eggs on the unlinedfloor. Their notes are mostly weak and low.Species of Hueco and Hypnelus also breed intermite nests.
The five species of nunlets are small nun-birds that range from Panama to N Argen-tina. Unobtrusive forest-dwellers coloredgray, brown, cinnamon and white, theirhabits are little known.