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286:) and that the display is likely to communicate that the motmot is aware of the predator and is prepared to escape. This form of interspecific pursuit-deterrent signal provides a benefit to both the motmot and the predator: the display prevents the motmot from wasting time and energy fleeing, and the predator avoids a costly pursuit that is unlikely to result in capture.
295:
In several species of motmots, the barbs near the ends of the two longest (central) tail feathers are weak and fall off due to abrasion with substrates, or fall off during preening, leaving a length of bare shaft, thus creating the racket shape of the tail. It was, however, wrongly believed in the
300:. It has since been shown that these barbs are weakly attached and fall off due to abrasion with substrates and during routine preening. There are, however, also several species where the tail is "normal", these being the tody motmot, blue-throated motmot, rufous-capped motmot, and the
281:
Motmots often move their tails back and forth in a wag-display that commonly draws attention to an otherwise hidden bird. Research indicates that motmots perform the wag-display when they detect predators (based on studies on
361:
The phylogenetic relationship between the six families that make up the order
Coraciiformes is shown in the cladogram below. The number of species in each family is taken from the list maintained by
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Racketed tail of the male and female turquoise-browed motmot: male but not female tail length correlates with pairing success, performance, and reproductive success.
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The largest concentration of motmots reside in
Honduras and Guatemala, with a total of 7 subspecies. It is also the national bird of Nicaragua and El Salvador.
278:
of up to 40 paired individuals. The eggs hatch after about 20 days, and the young leave the nest after another 30 days. Both parents care for the young.
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There is also evidence that the male tail, which is slightly larger than the female tail, functions as a sexual signal in the turquoise-browed motmot.
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past that the motmot shaped its tail by plucking part of the feather web to leave the racket. This was based on inaccurate reports made by
1156:
898:
Lack of melanized keratin and barbs that fall off: how the racketed tail of the turquoise-browed motmot
Eumomota superciliosa is formed.
912:
777:
Kuhl, H.; Frankl-Vilches, C.; Bakker, A.; Mayr, G.; Nikolaus, G.; Boerno, S.T.; Klages, S.; Timmermann, B.; Gahr, M. (2021).
1084:
247:
and a relatively heavy bill. All except the tody motmot have relatively long tails that in some species have a distinctive
913:"Dishonest 'preemptive' pursuit-deterrent signal? Why the turquoise-browed motmot wags its tail before feeding nestlings"
904:
274:
Like most of the
Coraciiformes, motmots nest in tunnels in banks, laying about four white eggs. Some species form large
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631:"Predator-elicited visual signal: why the turquoise-browed motmot wag-displays its racketed tail"
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728:; Berv, J.S.; Dornburg, A.; Field, D.J.; Townsend, J.P.; Lemmon, E.M.; Lemmon, A.R. (2015).
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690:
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208:
41:
779:"An unbiased molecular approach using 3′-UTRs resolves the avian family-level tree of life"
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730:"A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing"
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Motmots eat small prey such as insects and lizards, and will also take fruit. In
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Beebe, W. (1910). "Racket formation in the tail-feathers of the motmots".
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683:"A Fossil Motmot (Aves: Momotidae) from the Late Miocene of Florida"
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822:"Complexity of avian evolution revealed by family-level genomes"
577:"Predation by Rufous Motmot on Black-and-Green Poison Dart Frog"
212:
107:
952:
358:, USA has not been named; it might belong to an extant genus.
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motmots are restricted to woodland or forests in the
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populations of the rufous and broad-billed motmots.
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Higher-level bird taxa restricted to the
Neotropics
961:
907:Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 61:911–918.
604:Forshaw, Joseph (1991). Forshaw, Joseph (ed.).
608:. London: Merehurst Press. pp. 143–144.
8:
334:; it might be a primitive motmot or a more
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267:, motmots have been observed feeding on
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371:International Ornithological Committee
874:. International Ornithologists' Union
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900:Journal of Avian Biology 38:139–143.
496:
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369:and David Donsker on behalf of the
872:"IOC World Bird List Version 14.1"
25:
820:Stiller, J.; et al. (2024).
1162:Taxa named by George Robert Gray
64:
945:on the Internet Bird Collection
783:Molecular Biology and Evolution
606:Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds
1:
929:10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.10.020
426:– ground rollers (5 species)
681:Becker, Jonathan J. (1986).
522:– kingfishers (118 species)
338:lineage. A partial momotid
1178:
1157:Subterranean nesting birds
839:10.1038/s41586-024-07323-1
403:– bee-eaters (31 species)
311:
219:, which also includes the
806:21.11116/0000-0007-B72A-C
575:Master, Terry L. (1999).
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61:Scientific classification
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911:Murphy, Troy G. (2007).
903:Murphy, Troy G. (2007).
896:Murphy, Troy G. (2007).
870:, eds. (December 2023).
629:Murphy, Troy G. (2006).
243:. They have a colourful
506:– motmots (14 species)
442:– rollers (13 species)
284:turquoise-browed motmot
796:10.1093/molbev/msaa191
330:has been described as
196:
194:Electron platyrhynchum
1119:Paleobiology Database
648:10.1093/beheco/arj064
483:– todies (5 species)
298:Charles William Beebe
191:
192:Broad-billed motmot
755:10.1038/nature15697
746:2015Natur.526..569P
367:Pamela C. Rasmussen
866:; Donsker, David;
635:Behavioral Ecology
197:
54:Momotus bahamensis
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1106:Open Tree of Life
955:Taxon identifiers
868:Rasmussen, Pamela
740:(7574): 569–573.
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326:coraciiform from
269:poison dart frogs
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50:Trinidad motmot
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1054:iNaturalist
987:Wikispecies
864:Gill, Frank
832:: 851–860.
584:Wilson Bull
520:Alcedinidae
328:Switzerland
251:-like tip.
221:kingfishers
1141:Categories
726:Prum, R.O.
562:References
440:Coraciidae
363:Frank Gill
344:Hemphilian
312:See also:
265:Costa Rica
237:Neotropics
225:bee-eaters
1147:Momotidae
993:Momotidae
963:Momotidae
664:Zoologica
504:Momotidae
401:Meropidae
332:Protornis
324:Oligocene
322:genus of
302:Amazonian
261:Nicaragua
255:Behaviour
205:Momotidae
173:Hylomanes
128:Momotidae
84:Kingdom:
78:Eukaryota
18:Momotidae
972:Wikidata
849:11111414
764:26444237
308:Taxonomy
276:colonies
167:Eumomota
161:Electron
124:Family:
98:Chordata
94:Phylum:
88:Animalia
74:Domain:
35:Motmots
978:Q734720
878:17 June
742:Bibcode
712:1368274
481:Todidae
373:(IOC).
350:, c. 8
340:humerus
245:plumage
229:rollers
201:motmots
179:Momotus
149:Aspatha
141:Genera
133:GR Gray
114:Order:
104:Class:
1111:489432
1085:178127
1072:104298
846:
826:Nature
762:
734:Nature
710:
691:Condor
612:
320:fossil
249:racket
233:extant
231:. All
209:family
207:are a
135:, 1840
1124:39390
1098:57387
1067:IRMNG
1007:88898
708:JSTOR
686:(PDF)
580:(PDF)
336:basal
213:birds
1093:NCBI
1080:ITIS
1059:2122
1046:5255
1041:GBIF
1033:7604
1002:BOLD
880:2024
760:PMID
610:ISBN
263:and
227:and
199:The
108:Aves
1028:EoL
1020:CVK
1015:CoL
925:doi
844:PMC
834:doi
830:629
801:hdl
791:doi
750:doi
738:526
700:doi
643:doi
588:111
352:mya
211:of
203:or
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365:,
318:A
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346:(
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