There are 18 birds in this family. They are found in forests from Mexico south to South America.

Most species are 6-12 inches in length. They have long, thin bills; short wings; and long tails.

There is one member of this family, the three-toed jacamar, that does not have the zygodactyl feet found in most birds in the Piciformes order.

Zygodactyl feet have two toes facing forward and two toes facing backward. The three-toed jacamar has three toes facing forward and one toe facing backward.

Most species have iridescent (shiny) blue or green feathers on their back and wings and iridescent bronze feathers on their breasts. In some species, the males have white throats and the females have brown throats.

Jacamars nest in burrows in the ground. The birds in this family wait in trees for flying insects to pass by and then chase after them and catch them in flight. They then return to their tree and pound their catch on the tree before eating it.