Alternative name: Blue-diademed Motmot
- Momotus momota
Identification
38-48 cm. Green upperparts, blue lower tail, green or rufous underparts depending on subspecies, black central crown surrounded by blue band, black eyemask.
Distribution
Mexico to northern half of South America.
Taxonomy
Twenty subspecies are known for Blue-crowned Motmot. A recent paper[2] proposes that these should be split into several species, here treated as groups:
- group coeruliceps from north-eastern Mexico is the only with blue crown. Not included in the study mentioned.
- group lessoni from southern Mexico to western Panama. Includes subspecies goldmani, exiguus, and lessoni.
- group subrufescens from central Panama to north-central Venezuela, with parts of Colombia, and isolated from the rest in south-east Ecuador and south-west Peru. Includes subspecies subrufescens, osgoodi, spatha, and argenticinctus (subspecies conexus, reconditus, and olivaresi no longer recognized).
- group bahamensis from Trinidad and Tobago is monotypic
- group momota from the Amazon bassin includes microstephanus, momota, ignobilis, marcgravianus, nattereri, simplex, pilcomajensis, cametensis, and paraensis.
Highland Motmot has in the past been considered a part of Blue-crowned Motmot.
Habitat
Habits near water, rivers, streams, and builds its nest in hollows excavated on banks. Likes to perch on branches in the shadow, inside forest.
Behaviour
It nests in tunnels in a bank, 3-4 white eggs are laid.
The diet includes insects, lizards and fruit.
References
- Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- F. Gary Stiles 2009. A REVIEW OF THE GENUS MOMOTUS (CORACIIFORMES: MOMOTIDAE) IN NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA AND ADJACENT AREAS. Ornitología Colombiana No.8 (2009): 29-75. Subject of Birdforum discussion here
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue-crowned Motmot. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue-crowned_Motmot