Motmot
Encyclopedia
The motmots or Momotidae are a family
of bird
s in the near passerine
order Coraciiformes
, which also includes the kingfisher
s, bee-eater
s and roller
s. All extant motmots are restricted to woodland or forest in the Neotropics, and the largest diversity
is in Middle America
. They have a colourful plumage
and a relatively heavy bill. All except the Tody Motmot have relatively long tails that in some species has a distinctive racket
-like tip.
, motmots have been observed feeding on poison dart frog
s.
Like most of the Coraciiformes, motmots nest in tunnels in banks, laying about four white eggs. Some species form large colonies
of up to 40 paired individuals. The eggs hatch after about 20 days, and the young leave the nest after another 30 days. Both parents care for the young.
Motmots often move their tail 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 (based on studies on Turquoise-browed Motmot) and that the display is likely to communicate that the motmot is aware of the predator and is prepared to escape. This form of interspecific pursuit-deterrent signal provides a benefit to both the motmot and the predator: the display prevents the motmot from wasting time and energy fleeing, and the predator avoids a costly pursuit that is unlikely to result in capture.
There is also evidence that the male tail, which is slightly larger than the female tail, functions as a sexual signal in the Turquoise-browed Motmot.
In several species of motmots, the barbs near the ends of the two longest (central) tail feathers are weak and fall off due to abrasion with substrates, or fall off during preening, leaving a length of bare shaft, thus creating the racket shape of the tail. It was however wrongly believed in the past that the motmot shaped its tail by plucking part of the feather web to leave the racket. This was based on inaccurate reports made by Charles William Beebe. It has since been shown that these barbs are weakly attached and fall off due to abrasion with substrates and during routine preening. There are however also several species where the tail is "normal", these being the Tody Motmot, Blue-throated Motmot, Rufous-capped Motmot, and the Amazonian
populations of the Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots.
of most motmots has been relatively straight forward, it has been argued that the Blue-crowned Motmot should be split into multiple species, among these the Highland Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis).
Family Momotidae
A fossil
genus of Oligocene
coraciiform from Switzerland
has been described as Protornis; it might be a primitive motmot or a more basal lineage. A partial momotid humerus
found in early Hemphilian (Late Miocene
, c.8 mya) deposits in Alachua County, USA has not been named; it might belong to an extant genus (Becker 1986).
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the near passerine
Near passerine
Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
order Coraciiformes
Coraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
, which also includes the kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, bee-eater
Bee-eater
The bee-eaters are a group of near-passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa and Asia but others occur in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers...
s and roller
Roller
The rollers are an Old World family, Coraciidae, of near passerine birds. The group gets its name from the aerial acrobatics some of these birds perform during courtship or territorial flights. Rollers resemble crows in size and build, and share the colourful appearance of kingfishers and...
s. All extant motmots are restricted to woodland or forest in the Neotropics, and the largest diversity
Species diversity
Species diversity is an index that incorporates the number of species in an area and also their relative abundance. It is a more comprehensive value than species richness....
is in Middle America
Middle America (Americas)
Middle America is a region in the mid-latitudes of the Americas. In southern North America, it usually comprises Mexico, the nations of Central America, and the West Indies. The scope of the term may vary...
. They have a colourful plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
and a relatively heavy bill. All except the Tody Motmot have relatively long tails that in some species has a distinctive racket
Racquet
A racquet or racket is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton...
-like tip.
Behavior
Motmots eat small prey such as insects and lizards, and will also take fruit. In Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, motmots have been observed feeding on poison dart frog
Poison dart frog
Poison dart frog is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly-colored bodies...
s.
Like most of the Coraciiformes, motmots nest in tunnels in banks, laying about four white eggs. Some species form large colonies
Bird colony
A bird colony is a large congregation of individuals of one or more species of bird that nest or roost in close proximity at a particular location. Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony...
of up to 40 paired individuals. The eggs hatch after about 20 days, and the young leave the nest after another 30 days. Both parents care for the young.
Motmots often move their tail 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 (based on studies on Turquoise-browed Motmot) and that the display is likely to communicate that the motmot is aware of the predator and is prepared to escape. This form of interspecific pursuit-deterrent signal provides a benefit to both the motmot and the predator: the display prevents the motmot from wasting time and energy fleeing, and the predator avoids a costly pursuit that is unlikely to result in capture.
There is also evidence that the male tail, which is slightly larger than the female tail, functions as a sexual signal in the Turquoise-browed Motmot.
In several species of motmots, the barbs near the ends of the two longest (central) tail feathers are weak and fall off due to abrasion with substrates, or fall off during preening, leaving a length of bare shaft, thus creating the racket shape of the tail. It was however wrongly believed in the past that the motmot shaped its tail by plucking part of the feather web to leave the racket. This was based on inaccurate reports made by Charles William Beebe. It has since been shown that these barbs are weakly attached and fall off due to abrasion with substrates and during routine preening. There are however also several species where the tail is "normal", these being the Tody Motmot, Blue-throated Motmot, Rufous-capped Motmot, and the Amazonian
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
populations of the Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots.
Taxonomy
While the species-level taxonomyTaxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of most motmots has been relatively straight forward, it has been argued that the Blue-crowned Motmot should be split into multiple species, among these the Highland Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis).
Family Momotidae
- Genus Hylomanes
- Tody MotmotTody MotmotThe Tody Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Hylomanes.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
, Hylomanes momotula
- Tody Motmot
- Genus Aspatha
- Blue-throated MotmotBlue-throated MotmotThe Blue-throated Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Aspatha.It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico....
, Aspatha gularis
- Blue-throated Motmot
- Genus MomotusMomotusMomotus is a small genus of the motmots, a family of near passerine birds found in forest and woodland of the Neotropics. They have a colourful plumage, which is green on the back becoming blue on the flight feathers and the long tails...
- Russet-crowned MotmotRusset-crowned MotmotThe Russet-crowned Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family.It is found in Guatemala and Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Momotus mexicanus - Blue-crowned MotmotBlue-crowned MotmotThe Blue-crowned Motmot, Momotus momota, is a colourful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands of eastern Mexico, Central America, northern and central South America, and Trinidad and Tobago...
, Momotus momota
- Russet-crowned Motmot
- Genus BaryphthengusBaryphthengusBaryphthengus is a genus of birds in the family Momotidae. They are found in forests of South and Central America. Both species have a long tail, a black mask, and a plumage that is mainly green and rufous.-Species:...
- Rufous MotmotRufous MotmotThe Rufous Motmot, Baryphthengus martii, is a near-passerine bird which is a resident breeder in rain forests from northeastern Honduras south to western Ecuador, northeastern Bolivia, and southwestern Brazil....
, Baryphthengus martii - Rufous-capped MotmotRufous-capped MotmotThe Rufous-capped Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Baryphthengus ruficapillus
- Rufous Motmot
- Genus ElectronElectron (bird)Electron is a genus of the motmots, a family of Neotropical near passerine birds. The genus has two species:* Keel-billed Motmot, Electron carinatum* Broad-billed Motmot, Electron platyrhynchumBoth inhabit humid evergreen tropical forest...
- Keel-billed MotmotKeel-billed MotmotThe Keel-billed Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
, Electron carinatum - Broad-billed MotmotBroad-billed MotmotThe Broad-billed Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.-References:*...
, Electron platyrhynchum
- Keel-billed Motmot
- Genus Eumomota
- Turquoise-browed MotmotTurquoise-browed MotmotThe Turquoise-browed Motmot also called Torogoz by the inhabitants of El Salvador and Guardabarranco in Nicaragua; is a colourful, medium-sized bird of the motmot family, Momotidae. It inhabits Central America from south-east Mexico , to Costa Rica, where it is common and not considered threatened...
, Eumomota superciliosa
- Turquoise-browed Motmot
A fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
genus of Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
coraciiform from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
has been described as Protornis; it might be a primitive motmot or a more basal lineage. A partial momotid humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
found in early Hemphilian (Late Miocene
Late Miocene
The Late Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch....
, c.8 mya) deposits in Alachua County, USA has not been named; it might belong to an extant genus (Becker 1986).
External links
- Motmot Research, Troy G. Murphy
- Motmot videos on the Internet Bird Collection