Galbuliformes – Puffbirds & jacamars
Vibrantly colored birds of the Neotropics; once suborder of Piciformes
Tropical tree-dwelling insectivorous birds of this order reside from South America up to Mexico. They are one of the Neotropical region’s quiet birds, vocalize seldom and often alone or in pairs. They mainly make calls during dawn and dusk. They are solitary or in tiny family groups and are arboreal, secretive birds.
They hunt by sitting still when perched for extended periods and keeping an eye out for bug prey. Puffbird nesting habits are not well understood. Chicks are born blind and naked, may crawl to the mouth of the nest burrow at one or two days of age, and fledge at around 20 to 21 days. They are reported to deposit batches of two or three eggs.
Families in this order
These puffy birds can eat poisonous prey for breakfast
These agile hunters can catch butterflies and dragonflies mid-flight
