Paradise jacamar

The paradise jacamar (Galbula dea) is a species of bird in the family Galbulidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.[2][3]

Paradise jacamar
at Novo Mundo, Mato Grosso State, Brazil
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Galbulidae
Genus: Galbula
Species:
G. dea
Binomial name
Galbula dea
Synonyms

Alcedo dea Linnaeus, 1758

Taxonomy and systematics

Early in the 20th century the paradise jacamar was placed in the monotypic genus Urogalba, but it has been in Galbula since the middle of the century.[4] It has four subspecies, the nominate Galbula dea dea, G. d. amazonum, G. d. brunneiceps, and G. d. phainopepla.[2] It is possible that they are actually clinal variations of one species.[3]

Galbula dea Keulemans

Description

The paradise jacamar is 25.5 to 34 cm (10.0 to 13.4 in) long and weighs 25 to 32.5 g (0.88 to 1.15 oz). Both sexes of the nominate have a dark brown crown and are glossy black on the rest of the upper parts. They have a white throat and upper breast; the rest of the underparts are blackish. The other subspecies differ in a few ways. G. d. amazonum's crown is lighter and the white throat more extensive, and G. d. phainopepla is similar to it. G. d. brunneiceps's crown is lighter and its upper parts have a bronzy greenish sheen.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The paradise jacamar is found throughout most of the Amazon Basin. The subspecies are distributed thus:[3]

  • G. d. dea: from the upper Orinoco River in southern Venezuela east through the Guianas and in Brazil north of the Amazon River.
  • G. d. amazonum: north central Brazil south to northern Mato Grosso state and northern Bolivia.
  • G. d. brunneiceps: southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and Peru, and western Brazil south of the Amazon and west of the Negro River.
  • G. d. phainopepla: western Brazil south of the Amazon and west of the Madeira River.

The paradise jacamar mostly inhabits terra firme, várzea, and savanna forests, both primary and secondary. It is also found in dry forest and gallery forest. It is most often found along edges or in open areas such as clearings and treefalls, and rarely in the forest interior. Unusually for a jacamar, it is mostly seen in the canopy rather than the mid level. It is most often found below 500 m (1,600 ft) of elevation but locally occurs up to 1,100 m (3,600 ft).[3]

Behavior

Feeding

The paradise jacamar's diet is primarily Lepidoptera, Odonata, Diptera, and Hymenoptera, but it also takes other flying insects. It perches on exposed branches by itself, in pairs, or in small groups and sallies out to catch its prey. It sometimes joins mixed-species foraging flocks in the canopy.[3]

Breeding

A pair of paradise jacamars was seen excavating a burrow in an arboreal termite nest, and pairs have often been seen near such nests. No other information about the species' breeding phenology has been recorded.[3]

Vocalization

The paradise jacamar's song is "a well-spaced “peep peep peep peep peep peep pee pee pe pe”, usually descending, becoming slightly faster and weaker towards [the] end" . Its calls are variously "a single 'pip', 'peeap' or 'glewweh'" .[3]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the paradise jacamar as being of Least Concern.[1] It varies from rare to common throughout its range and has been recorded in many protected areas. "No immediate threats are known, but general habitat destruction presumably continues to reduce populations."[3]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Galbula dea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22682221A92936005. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22682221A92936005.en. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  2. Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (January 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.1)". Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. Tobias, J., T. Züchner, T.A. de Melo Júnior, G. M. Kirwan, and A. Bonan (2020). Paradise Jacamar (Galbula dea), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.parjac1.01 retrieved May 11, 2021
  4. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 19 January 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved January 19, 2021
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