Birds
Motmot
Momotidae · also called motmots
A motmot’s long, elegant tail did not simply grow that way — the bird made it, deliberately preening away a weak section of barbs on its two central feathers until only bare shafts and racket-shaped tips remain. It then swings that tail slowly back and forth from a quiet perch, seemingly telling any watching predator not to bother.
Overview
Motmots, family Momotidae, are vividly coloured, quiet, patient hunters found only in the forests of Mexico, Central America, and South America. From a still perch they hunt large insects, small reptiles, and fruit, and nest not in trees but in burrows dug into earthen banks.
A tail it builds and a warning it sends
The distinctive racket-tipped tail comes partly from the bird’s own preening, and its slow, pendulum-like swing is thought to warn nearby predators that they have already been spotted, discouraging a wasted attack.
Status
Least Concern overall but decreasing in places, as deforestation gradually reduces both hunting perches and the earthen banks motmots need for nesting.
Motmot: common questions
Does a motmot's tail naturally grow with racket-shaped tips?
Not entirely on its own. In several motmot species, the two long central tail feathers have a section partway down where the feather barbs are only weakly attached, and the bird itself removes this section through preening, leaving bare shafts that end in the distinctive racket-shaped tips. This means the final tail shape is partly a result of the bird's own grooming behaviour rather than being purely a product of natural feather growth.
Why does a motmot swing its tail back and forth?
This slow, deliberate, pendulum-like tail-swinging behaviour, sometimes called wag-displaying, is thought to function as a signal to a nearby predator that the motmot has already noticed it, potentially discouraging a predator from bothering to attempt a surprise attack that has little chance of succeeding once detection has already occurred. This kind of pursuit-deterrent signal is seen in a number of other animals as well.
Where does a motmot build its nest?
Rather than nesting in a tree, a motmot typically digs a burrow into an earthen bank, slope, or similar exposed soil surface, sometimes extending the tunnel more than a metre back to a small nesting chamber at the end where eggs are laid directly on bare ground. This burrow-nesting habit is shared with several other tropical bird families and offers some protection from certain predators and weather compared with a more exposed above-ground nest.
Are motmots found anywhere outside the Americas?
No, motmots are found exclusively in Mexico, Central America, and South America, making them a distinctively Neotropical bird family with no naturally occurring populations or close living relatives anywhere else in the world, unlike some bird families that have representatives across multiple continents.