Blue-crowned Motmot

The Blue-crowned Motmot is a large, colorful, and characteristically sluggish bird of tropical forest, patterned in muted greens and blues that shift and glow with the light. The crown is edged in black with a striking band of turquoise-blue, and a black mask runs through the eye, giving the face a bold, painted appearance against otherwise soft green upperparts and cinnamon-tinged underparts.

Its long tail, ending in two elongated, bare-shafted "racket" tips, is often swung slowly from side to side like a pendulum while the bird perches quietly, a behavior thought to serve as a signal to potential predators that it has already spotted them, reducing the likelihood of a surprise attack.

Key field marks

• Black-bordered turquoise-blue crown and black eye mask
• Greenish upperparts, cinnamon-washed underparts
• Long tail with distinctive bare-shafted racket tips
• Slow, deliberate pendulum-like swinging of the tail while perched

Similar species

• Turquoise-browed Motmot has a much brighter turquoise brow stripe and inhabits drier, more open habitat, with a more contrastingly patterned face.
• Broad-billed Motmot is smaller with a shorter tail and a broader, more rufous-washed bill and face.

Habitat

Inhabits humid and semi-humid forest, forest edge, and well-shaded gardens or plantations.

Range

Widespread from Mexico through Central America and across much of South America, though taxonomy of the various regional forms has shifted, with some populations now split into separate species.

Migration

Non-migratory and sedentary, generally remaining within a fixed home range year-round.

Behavior

Typically solitary or in pairs, perching quietly and motionless for long periods before sallying out to catch prey; often swings its long tail slowly from side to side while perched.

Voice

A low, hooting or owl-like "hoo-doot" call, often given at dawn and dusk from a concealed perch.

Feeding

Feeds on insects, small reptiles, and fruit, typically caught by sallying from a perch or gleaned from foliage.

Nesting

Excavates a nesting burrow in an earthen bank or slope, sometimes quite long; lays 3-4 white eggs.