The rufous-tailed jacamar (Galbula ruficauda) is an insectivorous bird of tropical American forests, with a long pointed bill, a long tail, and plumage that is typically iridescent green above. It feeds almost exclusively on flying insects, especially dragonflies, butterflies and moths. After the jacamar has caught an insect it beats it several times against a branch to stun it and remove the insect's wings before it swallows. The six recognised subspecies of Rufous-tailed Jacamar vary slightly in the amounts of black on the chin and in the number of green central rectrices, but in general males are an iridescent coppery/golden green above with a white throat and cinnamon-rufous underparts. Females are a slightly duller green and have a cinnamon-buff throat. Jacamars usually nest in holes in the ground or in termite mounds in trees, often near water or on the banks of rivers, or near the roots of dead trees. It is found in central America and northern South America.
