Blue-crowned motmot

Blue-crowned motmot
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Order Information
Order	Coraciiformes
Family Information
Family	Momotidae
Genus Information
Genus	Motmotus
Species Information
Species	M. momota
Population statistics
Conservation status	Least concern

The blue-crowned motmot (Motmotus momota) is a coraciiform bird of the family Momotidae, and found in the tropical areas of Central and South America.

Description

The Blue-crowned motmot is about 17-20 inches in length. The colors are predominately green, olive and blue on back, belly and tail. A black mask is over the eyes and extends down the cheeks, and it sports an additional black cap on top of the head; the black is accentuated by a ring or "crown" of brilliant blue feathers, giving the bird its name. The bill is large and dark in color, with a slight downward curve and bearing serrated edges. Apart from a slight difference in size (females are slightly smaller than males) there is no sexual dimorphism; both adults look alike, while juveniles are an olive green throughout.

Subspecies

• Momotus momota cametensis; Brazil: lower Xingu and Tapajós rivers, east to Tocantins River.
• Momotus momota ignobilis; eastern Peru to northern Bolivia (possibly western Brazil).
• Momotus momota marcgravianus; northeast Brazil: Paraíba to Alagoas.
• Momotus momota microstephanus; lowlands E of Andes in E Colombia, W Venezuela, E Ecuador, NE Peru and NW Brazil (E to upper R Negro).
• Momotus momota momota; Brazil: Orinoco River basin to Amapá state, south to northern bank of the Amazon River.
• Momotus momota nattereri; Bolivia: Andean foothills.
• Momotus momota parensis; Brazil: mouth of the Amazon River, east to Piauí.
• Momotus momota pilcomajensis; eastern and southern Bolivia and northern Argentina to southern Brazil, east to São Paulo and northwest Paraná.
• Momotus momota simplex; Brazil: south of the Amazon River, west to Peruvian border, east to upper Xingu River, southward to Mato Grosso and Goiás.

The following subspecies have at one time or another been considered for species-level taxa, based on differences between them and the M. momota subspecies above:

• Momotus momota bahamensis; Trinidad and Tobago
• Momotus momota coeruliceps; northeastern Mexico
• Momotus momota lessonii; Central America to eastern Mexico
• Momotus momota subrufescens; northwestern Colombia and Panama

Range and habitat

Blue-crowned motmots are found in tropical areas of South America east of the Andes Mountains, from the Orinoco Basin and the Guiana Highlands south to Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. It inhabits many habitats, from tropical forests to cleared land, including dry lowlands, scrub forests, plantations, thickets, hedgerows, and other secondary growth. These birds will sit on a perch and still-hunt, taking small animals such as birds, lizards, insects, and fruit, the serrated, curved bill easily getting a grip on the food. Prey animals when caught are sometimes banged on a branch before consuming. They nest in difficult-to-find holes dug into river banks or the forest floor during the wet season - March to April for the South American birds, May to June for the Mexican birds. The entrance pipe is dug by both parents for some distance - which includes a curve - before it ends at the nest. The nest itself is made up of fragments of undigested prey items. Up to three white eggs are laid during 48-hour intervals each, with an incubation period of 13–21 days.