Motmots are impressive-looking, robust birds that look somewhat like kingfishers.
Male and female motmots have a similar appearance with bright shades of green and blue colors,
a black mask, and a long racquet-tipped tail in most species.
They often move their tails back and forth in a wag-display that commonly draws attention
to an otherwise hidden bird. Research indicates that motmots
perform the wag-display when they detect predators and that the display is likely
to communicate that the motmot is aware of the predator and is prepared to escape.
With about 10 distinctive species within the motmot family, let's take a look at 5 of the
most beautiful motmots in the world. Number 5.
Inhabiting Central America from south-east Mexico to Costa Rica, the turquoise-browed
motmot lives in fairly open habitats such as forest edge, gallery forest and scrubland.
Also known as Torogoz, this species is more conspicuous than other motmots, often perching
in the open on wires and fences, where it scans for prey, such as insects and small reptiles.
Although it is often said that motmots pluck the barbs off their tail
to create the racketed shape, this is not true. The barbs are weakly
attached and fall off due to abrasion with substrates and with routine preening.
And unlike most bird species, where only males express elaborate traits,
the turquoise-browed motmot expresses the extraordinary racketed tail in both sexes.
Research indicates that the tail has evolved to function differently for the sexes.
Males apparently use their tail as a sexual signal, as males with longer tails have greater
pairing success and reproductive success. In addition to this function, the tail is used
by both sexes in a wag-display, whereby the tail is moved back-and-forth in a pendulous fashion.
Number 4. Found from northern Colombia to western
Bolivia, the Andean motmot is in general typical of its family: It is a large bird of 46 to 48 cm
(18 to 19 in) long with a stout black bill and a long tail with a "racquet" tip.
This species primarily inhabits humid montane forest, often near steams.
In Colombia, it occurs in all three major cordilleras,
but in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia it is found only along the eastern side of the Andes.
As an omnivorous species, the Andean motmot primarily feeds on arthropods and fruits,
but it also has been documented taking a small mouse opossum.
Number 3.
Found from northeastern Honduras south to western Ecuador, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil,
the rufous motmot is a large forest-dweller that likes to sit motionless.
Arguably one of the most spectacular motmots, the adults of this species are mainly cinnamon-rufous
with a black face mask and green wings and sides. As an omnivore, this bird has been documented
eating many types of fruit, insects, crustaceans, small fish, lizards, and frogs.
Number 2. Found in El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Mexico, the blue-throated motmot is green overall, with a pale golden face mask
and black cheek spot that is usually more noticeable than the turquoise-blue throat.
It also has a long graduated tail that in contrast to that of most
other motmots that have racquet tips. This stunning bird inhabits montane evergreen
and pine forest of medium to high humidity with elevation of 1,300 to 3,000 meters in Mexico
but in Honduras it is not found below 1,800 meters.
In fact, no other motmots occur in its limited highland range.
Even though its population appears to be decreasing,
its population and range are large enough to be assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Number 1. Native to north-western
Mexico and central Guatemala, the russet-crowned motmots are relatively small motmots that measure
30 to 35 cm long and weigh 74 to 104g. Even though they are common along their
range, the suitable nesting sites for these beautiful birds are steadily decreasing because
of changing climate and human activity. This causes these motmots to become very
territorial where 60 percent of the population return to the same
nesting areas as the previous year. Nevertheless the IUCN has assessed this
species to be of Least Concern because they are still common along their range, but still,
they are at risk of becoming endangered if their habitats are not conserved.