Blue-cheeked Jacamar (Galbula cyanicollis)

Identification & Behavior: ~20.5 cm (8.1 in). The Blue-cheeked Jacamar is iridescent green in the head, upperparts and central tail feathers. They have a variable amount of blue in the cheeks.  The throat and the rest of the underparts are entirely rufous. They are interior forest jacamars that favor tree falls, open upper understory and mid-canopy or any naturally sparsely vegetated forest.  They sit and wait on horizontal branches for passing insects they catch on the wing. Nearly identical to Yellow-billed Jacamar, but the two species replace each other geographically.

Status: The Blue-cheeked Jacamar is uncommon to rare throughout its range. They occur on the south side of the Amazon and Marañon Rivers and east of the lower Ucayali River. It also occurs in Br and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Jacamar de Mejilla Azul.

Sub-species: Blue-cheeked Jacamar (Galbula cyanicollis) Cassin, 1851.

Meaning of Name: Galbula: Gr. Galbula= a small yellowish bird. cyanicollis: L. cyaneus= dark blue; and collis, collum= neck.

See more of the Family Galbulidae