Broad-billed motmot

The broad-billed motmot (Electron platyrhynchum) is a fairly common[2] Central and South American bird of the Momotidae family.[3] They are nonmigratory, sedentary birds[4] that are most frequently seen in singles or pairs.[3] There exist six subspecies of the broad-billed motmot.[3]

Broad-billed motmot
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Momotidae
Genus: Electron
Species:
E. platyrhynchum
Binomial name
Electron platyrhynchum
(Leadbeater, 1829)

Description

At about 12 inches long, the broad-billed motmot is one of the smallest members of the family Momotidae.[5] These birds weigh 60 grams on average.[3] They have dark eyes and feet. Most of its upper body, including its head, neck and chest, is a cinnamon-rufous colour. There is a black patch on either side of its head that covers the cheeks and auricular area, as well as one on the centre of its chest. The lower half of its body is more greenish above and becomes more blueish below. The broad-billed motmot has a long tail that gradually changes from blue to black. It also has two racquet-shaped central feathers are much longer than the rest.[5] As its name suggests, the broad-billed motmot has a broad, flattened bill. Its bill is black, has serrated edges,[3][5] and has a keel on the upper mandible. This species does not demonstrate sexual dimorphism, which means that both the male and female look alike.[5]

Juveniles of this species are duller and darker than the adults. They also have white on their bill and a blue-green streak over their eye.[3]

The broad-billed motmot looks nearly identical to the rufous motmot (Baryphthengus martii) but it has a few discerning characteristics. It is smaller and has a larger black patch compared to the rufous motmot, as well as a blue-green chin.[3]

Taxonomy

The broad-billed motmot is a part of the family Momotidae, in the order Coraciiformes.[4]

This species has six subspecies, three of which make up a distinctive group that some consider to be their own species. They are called the "plain-tailed motmots" and this is because they lack tail racquets.[3]

Subspecies name Distribution
Broad-billed motmot (broad-billed)

platyhynchum Group

 Electron platyrhynchum minus Eastern Honduras to Eastern Panama.
Electron platyrhynchum platyrhynchum West of the Andes from Northwest Colombia to Southwest Ecuador.
Electron platyrhynchum colombianum Northern Colombia lowlands to Boyacá following the Magdalena River.
Broad-billed motmot (plain-tailed)

pyrrholaemum Group

 Electron platyrhynchum pyrrholaemum East of the Andes from South-Central Colombia to Eastern Ecuador, as well as Peru and Bolivia.
Electron platyrhynchum orienticola Upper Amazonian Brazil.
Electron platyrhynchum chlorophrys Central Brazil, South of the Amazon.

[3]

Habitat and distribution

Its range encompasses the eastern side of Central America from Honduras to Panama, and it extends into many countries in North-Western South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.[3]

This bird resides in humid forests, warm lowlands and foothills,[3] and is found at elevations below 3000 feet.[5]

Behaviour

Vocalizations

The family Momotidae is small, but they have a wide variety of sounds.[5] The broad-billed motmot's most utilized vocalization is its song, which they most often give at dawn. It is described as a nasal "cwaah" sound and it is generally repeated at long intervals, but it is sometimes done as a shorter and faster sequence, or as a duet. Their call, which is heard less commonly, is a quiet string of "tuk" sounds that occasionally develops into a rattle.[3]

Diet

The broad-billed motmot is considered to be primarily insectivorous.[6] Their diet is made up in large part by insects and their larvae.[3][5][6] However, they also feed on spiders, centipedes, scorpions,[3] as well as some small vertebrates such as snakes, frogs, and lizards.[3][5][6] When they are in season and abundant, this bird will predominantly eat cicadas.[5] Unlike other species of the Momotidae family, broad-billed motmots do not consume fruits.[6]

This bird species hunts in a way that saves energy, by examining their surroundings until they spot a prey of interest.[5] They then perform a hunting method called a "sally-strike" to snatch their prey, before returning to their perch to feed.[6]

Reproduction

In Costa Rica, the broad-billed motmot lays its eggs between February and May. On average, this species has a clutch size of 2 to 3 eggs. These socially monogamous birds[7] nest in an earth bank burrow and both parents take turns incubating the eggs,[3][7] though the females often have longer shifts.[3] It is not known exactly how long broad-billed motmot eggs are incubated.[3] The birds hatch both naked and blind, and parents also share the responsibility of feeding their young.[5]

Conservation status

The broad-billed motmot is considered to be a species of least concern by the IUCN Red List of 2016.[2] It is common within its range, but populations are being negatively affected by deforestation.[3]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Electron platyrhynchum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (2016-10-01). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Electron platyrhynchum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  3. Snow, David; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020-03-04), "Broad-billed Motmot (Electron platyrhynchum)", Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, doi:10.2173/bow.brbmot1.01, retrieved 2020-10-12
  4. Becker, Jonathan J. (November 1986). "A Fossil Motmot (Aves: Momotidae) from the Late Miocene of Florida". The Condor. 88 (4): 478–482. doi:10.2307/1368274. ISSN 0010-5422.
  5. Skutch, Alexander F. (1971). "Life History of the Broad-Billed Motmot, with Notes on the Rufous Motmot". The Wilson Bulletin. 83 (1): 74–94. ISSN 0043-5643.
  6. Remsen, J. V.; Hyde, Mary Ann; Chapman, Angela (February 1993). "The Diets of Neotropical Trogons, Motmots, Barbets and Toucans". The Condor. 95 (1): 178–192. doi:10.2307/1369399. ISSN 0010-5422.
  7. Murphy, Troy G.; Rohwer, Vanya G.; Scholes, Edwin (2010). "Breeding biology and longevity of Russet-crowned Motmots in central Mexico". Journal of Field Ornithology. 81 (1): 13–16. doi:10.1111/j.1557-9263.2009.00255.x. ISSN 1557-9263.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.