Three-toed Jacamar
December 1, 2017English - Three-toed Jacamar
Portuguese - Cuitelão
Latin - Jacamaralcyon tridactyla
This is a cool wee bird and one that I am pleased to have photographed. I photographed the Three-toed Jacamar when I went on a day excursion when I was staying at REGUA (Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu). The excursion was to a place called Sumidouro which is about 130 km north of REGUA. I went there with 2 Swedish guests who were staying at REGUA and Cirilo Vieira, an amazing bird guide that works at REGEA. The first 3 photos were taken as we were walking along a dirt road/track. First of all Cirilo saw it in the distance, then he started to play the call of the Three-toed Jacamar on his cell phone and shortly after that the Three-toed Jacamar flew in and sat on a branch close to where we were standing. The 4th photo was taken later on in the day in a slightly different area as we were in the van driving back to REGUA. This Three-toed Jacamar was spotted on the side of the road. It flew from one side of the road to the other various times, from a tree branch to a certain mound of dirt. The day itself was quite patchy with a bit of sun but a lot of cloud that sometimes blocked the sun but as per usual, it was hot. Feel privileged to have photographed this wee bird as it is classified as a vulnerable species.
* Smallish bird, measuring 18 cm in length and weighing between around 19 g.
* The females Three-toed Jacamar is slightly bigger than males.
* Unlike other members of the jacamar family, the Three-toed Jacamar only has 3 toes instead of 4.
* The Three-toed Jacamar song a sequence of short, relatively weak whistles and clicks.
* The Three-toed Jacamar is endemic to a small region of the Atlantic forests of southeastern Brazil.
* Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical dry forests, subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests.
* It is an insectivore. It will feeds on small moths, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, true bugs and termites.
* There is not a lot of info about the breading habits of the Three-toed Jacamar but it usually excavates a burrow nest into an earthen bank. females lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated by both parents.