ABSTRACT
Jacamars are a colorful group of birds only found in Neotropical forests and woodlands, often garbed in metallic green with varying amounts of rufous or white. They are impressive sally feeders, dashing out from branches where they otherwise inconspicuously sit to catch flying insects. Very little is known or has been described about jacamar molt strategies, although they probably follow a Complex Basic Strategy, lacking prealternate molts. Juvenile plumages are similar to adults, being metallic and brightly colored, but the plumage is even more loosely textured and it probably takes several weeks or months for their bills to reach the adult size, which can aid in aging. At the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) only females have been observed with developed brood patches; it is possible that males develop less extensive brood patches given their less intensive incubation schedule.
