Galbulidae

Galbulidae

[‚gal′bu̇l·ə‚dē]

(vertebrate zoology)

The jacamars, a family of highly iridescent birds of the order Piciformes that resemble giant hummingbirds.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Galbulidae

 

(jacamars), a family of birds of the order Piciformes. The birds measure 13–39 cm in length and have long, slender bills. The legs are short, with four digits; certain representatives of the genus Jacamaralcyon have three digits. The plumage is soft, with an intense green or black sheen on the back.

The family embraces 15 species, which are distributed in the lowlands of tropical forests of Central and South America from southern Mexico to southern Brazil. They nest in burrows dug in termite nests or cliffs. There are two to four eggs per clutch. The brood period is 20 to 23 days. The young hatch covered with a thick down. The Galbulidae feed on insects, catching them in flight.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.