The rufous-tailed jacamar (Galbula ruficauda) is a near-passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World in southern Mexico, Central America and South America as far south as southern Brazil and Ecuador. Description Like other jacamars they are elegant, brightly coloured birds with long bills and tails. The rufous-tailed jacamar is typically long with a long black bill. The subspecies G. r. brevirostris has, as its name implies, a shorter bill. This bird is metallic green above, and the underparts are mainly orange, including the undertail, but there is a green breast band. Sexes differ in that the male has a white throat, and the female a buff throat; she also tends to have paler underparts. The race G. r. pallens has a copper-coloured back in both sexes. Food and foraging This insectivore hunts from a perch, sitting with its bill tilted up, then flying out to catch flying insects. One commonly preyed upon insect is the social wasp Agelaia vicina. Other insect prey include flies, beetles, bees, dragonflies, and butterflies. Further, the bird distinguishes between edible and unpalatable butterflies mainly according to body shape. Nesting This species is a resident breeder in a range of dry or moist woodlands and scrub. The two to four rufous-spotted white eggs are laid in a burrow in a bank or termite mound. Vocalizations The rufous-tailed jacamar's call is a sharp , and the song a high thin , ending in a trill. Bibliography References External links Rufous-tailed jacamar videos, photos & sounds in the Internet Bird Collection Rufous-tailed jacamar photo gallery VIREO Stamps (for British Honduras-(Belize), Guyana, and Nicaragua) Photo-High Res; Article, Tsgcs.co.uk rufous-tailed jacamar Birds of Central America Birds of Mexico Birds of Colombia Birds of Venezuela Birds of the Guianas Birds of Trinidad and Tobago Birds of Bolivia Birds of Brazil Birds of the Amazon Basin rufous-tailed jacamar rufous-tailed jacamar