Trinidad motmot

Last updated

Trinidad motmot
Blue-crowned Motmot back 2.jpg
in Tobago
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Momotidae
Genus: Momotus
Species:
M. bahamensis
Binomial name
Momotus bahamensis
(Swainson, 1838)
Momotus bahamensis dist.png
pair Trinidad motmots (Momotus bahamensis).jpg
pair

The Trinidad motmot (Momotus bahamensis) is a colorful near-passerine bird endemic to the forests and woodlands of Trinidad and Tobago. This species and the blue-capped motmot, Lesson's motmot, whooping motmot, Amazonian motmot, and Andean motmot were all considered conspecific. Though found on both islands, this bird is more abundant in Tobago than it is in Trinidad.

The central crown is black and surrounded by a blue band. There is a black eyemask. The call is a low owl-like ooo-doot.

These birds often sit still, and in their dense forest habitat can be difficult to see, despite their size. They eat small prey such as amphibians, small mammals, [2] insects, spiders, earthworms, [3] lizards, small snakes and fledgling birds, [3] and will also regularly take fruit. They are known to eat small tree snails, and to use forest floor rocks as 'anvils' to crack open the hard shells of these prey items to access the soft edible bodies within. They are suspected to strike other prey on the forest floor to stun or kill it as well, and this practice may make it easier to feed to young birds. [2]

Like most of the Coraciiformes, motmots nest in tunnels in banks, laying about three or four white eggs.

The bird is shown on the front of the $5 bank note of Trinidad and Tobago.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motmot</span> Family of birds

The motmots or Momotidae are a family of birds in the order Coraciiformes, which also includes the kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers. All extant motmots are restricted to woodland or forests in the Neotropics, and the largest are in Central America. They have a colourful plumage and a relatively heavy bill. All except the tody motmot have relatively long tails that in some species have a distinctive racket-like tip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazonian motmot</span> Species of bird

The Amazonian motmot is a colorful near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in the Amazon lowlands and low Andean foothills from eastern Venezuela to eastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bat falcon</span> Species of bird

The bat falcon is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violaceous euphonia</span> Species of bird

The violaceous euphonia is a small passerine bird in the true finch family. It is a resident breeder from Trinidad, Tobago and eastern Venezuela south to Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. The bird's range in northern Brazil is the lower portion of the Amazon Basin and the adjacent Tocantins River drainage, with its northwestern limits from Brazil and the Guyanas, the eastern banks of the Orinoco River drainage in central Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-chinned sapphire</span> Species of bird

The blue-chinned sapphire or blue-chinned emerald is a hummingbird that ranges from Colombia south and east to the Guianas, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, and Brazil. There have been occasional records from Tobago. For Brazil, the species' range is along the main Amazon River Basin, as well as the Atlantic Forest, both in the northeast, as well as far south on the southeast coastal strip,. It is sometimes placed in the genus Chlorostilbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-bearded manakin</span> Species of bird

The white-bearded manakin is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical South America. It can be found in Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad south to Bolivia and northern Argentina. This manakin is found in forests, secondary growth and plantations. It is a small, plump bird about 10.7 centimetres (4.2 in) long. Males have a black crown, upper back, wings and tail and are otherwise white. Females are olive-green and resemble female golden-headed manakins. At breeding time, males are involved in lekking behaviour on the forest floor during which they puff out their neck feathers. This is a fairly common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-breasted falcon</span> Species of bird

The orange-breasted falcon is a Near Threatened bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Panama, and either definitely or probably in every South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

<i>Momotus</i> Genus of birds

Momotus 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. The barbs near the ends of the two longest central tail feathers fall off, leaving a length of bare shaft so that tails appear racket-shaped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turquoise-browed motmot</span> Species of bird

The turquoise-browed motmot 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. It lives in fairly open habitats such as forest edge, gallery forest and scrubland. It is more conspicuous than other motmots, often perching in the open on wires and fences. From these perches it scans for prey, such as insects and small reptiles. White eggs (3–6) are laid in a long tunnel nest in an earth bank or sometimes in a quarry or fresh-water well. Its name originates from the turquoise color of its brow. It is the national bird of both El Salvador and Nicaragua, where it is known as torogoz and guardabarranco respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous motmot</span> Species of bird

The rufous motmot is a near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found from northeastern Honduras south to western Ecuador, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad-billed motmot</span> Species of bird

The broad-billed motmot is a fairly common Central and South American bird of the Momotidae family. They are nonmigratory, sedentary birds that are most frequently seen in singles or pairs. There exist six subspecies of the broad-billed motmot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tody motmot</span> Species of bird

The tody motmot is a species of near-passerine bird in the motmot family Momotidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Hylomanes. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russet-crowned motmot</span> Species of bird

The russet-crowned motmot is a species of motmot native to north-western Mexico and central Guatemala. It is a year-round resident of the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and scrubland. The russet-crowned motmot is the most understudied species of motmot in the family Momotidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesson's motmot</span> Species of bird

Lesson's motmot or the blue-diademed motmot, is a colorful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands of southern Mexico to western Panama. This species and the blue-capped motmot, whooping motmot, Trinidad motmot, Amazonian motmot, and Andean motmot were all considered conspecific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whooping motmot</span> Species of bird

The whooping motmot is a colorful near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean motmot</span> Species of bird

The Andean motmot or highland motmot is a colorful near-passerine bird found from northern Colombia to western Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-capped motmot</span> Species of bird

The blue-capped motmot or blue-crowned motmot is a colorful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands of eastern Mexico. This species and the Lesson's Motmot, Whooping Motmot, Trinidad Motmot, Amazonian Motmot, and Andean Motmot were all considered conspecific. The IUCN uses blue-crowned as their identifier for this species; however, it was also the name used for the prior species complex.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Momotus bahamensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T61634940A95173793. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T61634940A95173793.en . Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 Schulenberg, Thomas S. (2020-03-04), "Trinidad Motmot (Momotus bahamensis)", Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, retrieved 2023-10-27
  3. 1 2 "Momotus bahamensis (Trinidad Motmot)" (PDF). sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-23.