Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Galbula ruficauda 10"

© Photograph courtesy Dr. Russell Barrow

A novice may be forgiven for thinking, on first sight, that this bird was a Hummingbird. The shape, the needle-like bill and the iridescence cannot help but give that impression. But this a far larger species than any hummingbird. In overcast conditions it has a somewhat dull greenish colour on the upper parts, but in bright low-angle sunlight the bird seems to catch fire and all the colours of the rainbow, except blue, appear in a burst of splendour reminiscent of the queen of a Trinidad Carnival band. Go to Tobago and stop at the 23 1/2 mile post on the Windward Road and you are certain to see some of these birds flying in and out of their nest holes in the mudbank on the side of the road.