The Story
I photographed this White-chinned Jacamar (Galbula tombacea) at Zacambu Lodge on the Yavarí, in Loreto, Peru. The White-chinned Jacamar’s diet is assumed to include many insects, though only bees, wasps and ants have been recorded. Its call is a keelip or peeup, often given in a series. The male’s upperparts are a dark metallic bronzy green. It lives up to about 1,200 meters, and at lower elevations it is often found along watercourses. The Yavarí is a clear-water tributary of the Amazon, about 1,050 km long, that forms the border between Brazil and Peru along its whole course. IUCN lists the White-chinned Jacamar as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/100 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. Trips from Leticia to Zacambu include walks in the flooded forest and a visit to a village where monkeys are being released.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The White-chinned Jacamar (Galbula tombacea) belongs to the family Galbulidae (Jacamars) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List