Alternative names: Highland Motmot or Equatorial Motmot
- Momotus aequatorialis
Identification
A typical Motmot in that the tail distally has racquets at the end of the tail. It is mostly green both above and below, with throat washed slight to strongly blue, breast washed with ochraceous-olive, sides and rear of neck sometimes also with ochraceous wash, tail green with blue distally. In the head is black from the side of bill circling around the back of the head, bordered above by a broad turquoise diadem and a central black crown.
Variation
Southern birds (subspecies chlorolaemus) differ in having a more clean, green color overall.
Distribution
South America: found from Colombia to Ecuador and Peru.
Taxonomy
There has been a recent split of a species known as Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota) into six species:
- Blue-capped Motmot (M. coeruliceps) -- from Mexico
- Lesson's Motmot (M. lessoni) -- from southern Mexico to western Panama
- Whooping Motmot (M. subrufescens) -- from around the Canal zone in Panama to northern Colombia and northern Venezuela as well as lowland western Ecuador, and Peru
- Trinidad Motmot (M. bahamensis) -- Trinidad and Tobago
- Amazonian Motmot (M. momota) -- Amazonian lowlands from Colombia, to The Guianas and south to Bolivia and Argentina
- Andean Motmot (M. aequatorialis) -- Highlands in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
Subspecies
There are two subspecies[1]:
- M. a. aequatorialis:
- M. a. chlorolaemus:
- Subtropical eastern Peru
Habitat
Secondary growth Andean forest.
Behaviour
Breeding: nests at end of tunnel excavated in earthen embankments.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- F Gary Stiles in Ornitología Colombiana No.8 (2009): 29-75 published an analysis of the Momota that resulted in split of this species.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Andean Motmot. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Andean_Motmot
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
