Birds
Blue-crowned Motmot
Momotus momota
A vivid blue crown patch catches the light as a blue-crowned motmot swings its long, racket-tipped tail side to side like a pendulum, a signature motmot behaviour performed from a quiet forest perch.
Overview
The blue-crowned motmot, Momotus momota, is a Least Concern bird found across forest and rainforest from Mexico through Central America and much of South America. Its vivid blue crown patch, pendulum tail swing, and habit of nesting in earthen burrows make it one of the more behaviourally distinctive birds found anywhere in the Neotropics.
A tail it shapes itself
The bare, racket-shaped tips on the blue-crowned motmot’s long tail feathers are not a natural growth pattern but the result of the bird removing feather barbs itself through grooming, a self-made ornament shared across the motmot family.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable forest and rainforest habitat throughout its extensive range.
Blue-crowned Motmot: common questions
Why does the blue-crowned motmot swing its tail like a pendulum?
It swings its long, racket-tipped tail feathers side to side as a form of display, a behaviour shared across the motmot family that may signal alertness to potential predators.
Why are the blue-crowned motmot's tail tips bare?
The bird itself removes barbs from sections of its tail feathers through grooming, creating the bare shaft and racket-shaped tip characteristic of motmots rather than this pattern growing naturally.
Where does the blue-crowned motmot nest?
It digs a nesting burrow into an earthen bank rather than building a nest in a tree, a habit shared with several other motmot species.
What does the blue-crowned motmot eat?
It is an omnivore, eating insects, small reptiles, and fruit, gleaned from vegetation or caught from a perch.