The great jacamar 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.
Region
Amazon Basin and southern Central America
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Central America (Panama and Costa Rica) through northern South America, including the Amazon and Guiana Shield regions. It inhabits subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests, especially along rivers and in mature terra firme and seasonally flooded varzea. Most often seen at forest edges, light gaps, and along shaded streams where visibility for aerial sallies is good. It avoids heavily deforested landscapes but may persist in tall secondary growth if forest structure remains. Typically perches in the understory to midstory and hunts below the canopy.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The great jacamar is the sole species in the genus Jacamerops, making it a distinctive member of the jacamar family. It often sits motionless on shaded perches and darts out to snatch flying insects in midair. Pairs typically nest by tunneling into earthen banks or arboreal termitaria. Like other jacamars, it deftly removes stingers from bees and wasps before swallowing them.
San Francisco Reserve - Darien, Panama
Temperament
solitary and watchful
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick sallies from perches
Social Behavior
Usually seen alone or in pairs, sitting quietly for long periods before making swift aerial forays. Pairs maintain territories and cooperate in nesting. Nests are excavated tunnels in earthen banks or within arboreal termitaria, where both parents incubate and feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives clear, whistled notes that are sweet and penetrating, often delivered in short series. Calls can descend slightly in pitch and include sharp, thin peeps used for contact.
