Species Fact Profile: Blue-Crowned Motmot (Momotus momota)

Blue-Crowned (Amazonian) Motmot

Momotus momota (Linnaeus, 1766)

Range: Northern and Central South America
Habitat: Lowland Rainforest, Forest Edge
Diet: Arthropods, Small Vertebrates, Fruit
Social Grouping: Solitary, Pairs
Reproduction: Breeding has been reported at different times of the year across the range.  Nest in a chamber at the end of a burrow dug by both parents.  3-4 eggs are incubated for 21 days.  Chicks are blind and featherless after hatching, are cared for by both parents until they fledge at one month old
Lifespan: 20 Years
Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern

• Body length 46-48 centimeters.  Weight 120-145 grams.  Males are slightly larger than females
• Both sexes look alike.  Olive-green plumage, fading to a pale tawny on the underside.  Throat s bluish-gray.  Named for the distinctive cap of dark blue feathers extending from the base of the beak to the back of the head.  The red eyes are masked with wedges of black feathers.  The black beak is short and serrated
• Easily recognized by the long central tail feathers, growing in the shape of a racquet.  The feathers are groomed into this shape by the birds rather than growing naturally.  The tail swings back and forth when the bird is excited
• Ambush predators, sitting and waiting on perches for long periods until prey appears, then swooping down and seizing it.  If the prey item is too large to swallow whole, the bird may bash it against a branch to kill it first.
• Nests may be dug months before eggs are laid, possibly so as to not call too much attention to the nest site for when there are eggs and chicks inside
• Predators include small wild cats (ocelot, margay), birds of prey, and snakes
• The name "motmot" is an imtiation of the bird's call
• Formerly considered one widespread species, it has since been broken into a half-dozen very similar species across Central and South America.  The original species is now sometimes referred to as the Amazonian motmot.