The white-eared jacamar is 18 to 21 cm (7.1 to 8.3 in) long and weighs 44 to 50 g (1.6 to 1.8 oz). It is stouter than many jacamars, and has a more robust bill. It is almost entirely reddish-chestnut, with a bronzy gloss on the crown, wings, and tail. It has large white ear coverts. The juvenile is paler and its bill is shorter.
The white-eared jacamar is found in the upper Amazon basin from Meta Department in central Colombia south through eastern Ecuador to the Ucayali River in northeastern Peru. It extends east into western Brazil along the Solimões (Upper Amazon) River almost to Manaus. In this humid region, it inhabits terra firme and várzea forest, both primary and secondary. It prefers edges such as around clearings and along waterways. In elevation it ranges up to 500 m (1,600 ft).
The white-eared jacamar preys on insects, with Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera favored. It perches at mid- to upper canopy height singly or in small groups and sallies out to capture its prey.
White-eared jacamar nest cavities in Ecuador and Peru were in termite nests high in trees. The Ecuador nest was active in April and that in Peru in July. Breeding condition birds were recorded in June in Colombia.
The IUCN has assessed the white-eared jacamar as being of Least Concern. It is generally common in its large range and occurs in several protected areas. With ongoing deforestation in Amazonia, its "preference for successional and edge habitats suggests good survival prospects."
