• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Where premium quality meets exceptional value. ZEISS Conquest HDX.

Difference between revisions of "Broad-billed Motmot" - BirdForum Opus

m (reference subspecies)
(Taxonomy expanded. Photo captions)
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
[[Image:Broad-billed_Motmot.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Photo by {{user|steveblain|steveblain}}<br /> [[Milpe Reserve]], [[Ecuador]], August 2004]]
 
;[[: Category:Electron|Electron]] platyrhynchum
 
;[[: Category:Electron|Electron]] platyrhynchum
[[Image:Broad-billed_Motmot.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Photo by steveblain<br />Photo taken at Milpe Reserve, [[Ecuador]]]]
 
 
==Identification==
 
==Identification==
 
Length 33cm (13.5").  Rufous head and chest with black mask that tapers to a point in the rear.  Turquoise belly and crissum.  Back is green, with blue wing edges and lower tail.  The tail is long, with a racket tip (created by the bird by plucking) on the west slope of the Andes; no racket on east side.  Narrow black tip.  Central black chest spot.  As indicated by the popular English name, the bill is broad, black, and curved downward.
 
Length 33cm (13.5").  Rufous head and chest with black mask that tapers to a point in the rear.  Turquoise belly and crissum.  Back is green, with blue wing edges and lower tail.  The tail is long, with a racket tip (created by the bird by plucking) on the west slope of the Andes; no racket on east side.  Narrow black tip.  Central black chest spot.  As indicated by the popular English name, the bill is broad, black, and curved downward.
 
 
===Similar Species===
 
===Similar Species===
 
Would be unmistakable, except for confusion with the similar [[Rufous Motmot]].  The latter is considerably larger, has a broader mask, narrower bill, and most diagnostic, rufous plumage that extends to the lower belly.
 
Would be unmistakable, except for confusion with the similar [[Rufous Motmot]].  The latter is considerably larger, has a broader mask, narrower bill, and most diagnostic, rufous plumage that extends to the lower belly.
 
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
 
Northern half of [[South America]] north through [[Central America]] to [[Honduras]].
 
Northern half of [[South America]] north through [[Central America]] to [[Honduras]].
 
+
[[Image:d08_0798.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|Gary+Clark|Gary Clark}} <br />Pajaro Jumbo Private Reserve, near Mindo, [[Ecuador]], February 2008]]
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
Six subspecies are recognized:<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>
+
====Subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>====
''minus'', ''platyrhynchum'', ''pyrrholaemum'', ''colombianum'', ''orienticola'', and ''chlorophrys''.
+
Six subspecies are recognized:
 
+
*''E. p. minus'':
 +
:*Eastern [[Honduras]] to northern [[Colombia]] (lower Cauca Valley)
 +
*''E. p. platyrhynchum'':
 +
:*Western [[Colombia]] and western [[Ecuador]]
 +
*''E. p. colombianum '': Northern [[Colombia]] (humid lowlands north of the Andes)<br />
 +
'''Plain-tailed'''
 +
*''E. p. pyrrholaemum''':
 +
:*Eastern [[Colombia]] to eastern [[Ecuador]], eastern [[Peru]] and northern [[Bolivia]]
 +
*''E. p. orienticola'':
 +
:*Western [[Brazil]] (Río Purús region)
 +
*''E. p. chlorophrys'':
 +
:*[[Brazil]] (Mato Grosso, Pará and Goiás)
 
==Habitat==
 
==Habitat==
 
Lower and middle levels in humid forest and forest borders.
 
Lower and middle levels in humid forest and forest borders.
[[Image:d08_0798.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Photo by {{user|Gary+Clark|Gary Clark}} <br/>Location: Pajaro Jumbo Private Reserve, near Mindo, [[Ecuador]].]]
 
 
==Behaviour==
 
==Behaviour==
 
Sallies from a perch, to capture large insects from surfaces (not in mid-air, flycatcher style).  Perches patiently, often in an exposed situation.  Individual or in pairs.
 
Sallies from a perch, to capture large insects from surfaces (not in mid-air, flycatcher style).  Perches patiently, often in an exposed situation.  Individual or in pairs.

Revision as of 23:15, 27 February 2010

Photo by steveblain
Milpe Reserve, Ecuador, August 2004
Electron platyrhynchum

Identification

Length 33cm (13.5"). Rufous head and chest with black mask that tapers to a point in the rear. Turquoise belly and crissum. Back is green, with blue wing edges and lower tail. The tail is long, with a racket tip (created by the bird by plucking) on the west slope of the Andes; no racket on east side. Narrow black tip. Central black chest spot. As indicated by the popular English name, the bill is broad, black, and curved downward.

Similar Species

Would be unmistakable, except for confusion with the similar Rufous Motmot. The latter is considerably larger, has a broader mask, narrower bill, and most diagnostic, rufous plumage that extends to the lower belly.

Distribution

Northern half of South America north through Central America to Honduras.

Photo by Gary Clark
Pajaro Jumbo Private Reserve, near Mindo, Ecuador, February 2008

Taxonomy

Subspecies[1]

Six subspecies are recognized:

  • E. p. minus:
  • E. p. platyrhynchum:
  • E. p. colombianum : Northern Colombia (humid lowlands north of the Andes)

Plain-tailed

  • E. p. pyrrholaemum':
  • E. p. orienticola:
  • Western Brazil (Río Purús region)
  • E. p. chlorophrys:
  • Brazil (Mato Grosso, Pará and Goiás)

Habitat

Lower and middle levels in humid forest and forest borders.

Behaviour

Sallies from a perch, to capture large insects from surfaces (not in mid-air, flycatcher style). Perches patiently, often in an exposed situation. Individual or in pairs.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.

Recommended Citation

External Links

Back
Top