The blue-capped motmot or blue-crowned motmot (''Momotus coeruliceps'') is a colorful

near-passerine Near passerines and higher land-bird assemblage are terms of traditional, pre-cladistic taxonomy that have often been given to tree-dwelling birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines (order Passeriformes) owing to mor ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

found in forests and woodlands of eastern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. This species and the

Lesson's Motmot Lesson's motmot (''Momotus lessonii'') 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 ...

Whooping Motmot The whooping motmot (''Momotus subrufescens'') is a colorful near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The whooping motmot and the blue-capped (''Mo ...

Trinidad Motmot 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 Andea ...

Amazonian Motmot The Amazonian motmot (''Momotus momota'') 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. Taxonomy an ...

, and

Andean Motmot The Andean motmot or highland motmot (''Momotus aequatorialis'') is a colorful near-passerine bird found from northern Colombia to western Bolivia. Taxonomy and systematics The Andean motmot and the blue-capped (''Momotus coeruleiceps''), ...

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. It is the only species in the former complex where the central crown is blue. There is a black eyemask. The call is a low owl-like ''ooo-doot''. Blue-crowned motmots have a body length ranging from . 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 insects and lizards, and will also regularly take fruit. Like most of the

Coraciiformes The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base) ...

, motmots nest in tunnels in banks, laying about three or four white eggs.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3325207 blue-capped motmot Endemic birds of Northeastern Mexico blue-capped motmot Taxa named by John Gould Birds of the Sierra Madre Oriental