The blue-capped motmot (''Momotus coeruliceps'') or blue-crowned motmot, 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 (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

found in forests and woodlands of eastern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. This species and the Lesson's Motmot, Whooping Motmot,

Trinidad Motmot The Trinidad and Tobago motmot (''Momotus bahamensis'') is a colourful near-passerine bird endemic to the forests and woodlands of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a nonmigratory member of the ''Motmot, Momotidae'' family and the ''Momotus'' genus. This ...

, 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. 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 b ...

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

References

{{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