Turquoise-browed Motmot
Eumomota superciliosa
Spectacular motmot of tropical lowlands, mainly in drier areas. Favors dry forest and edge, semiopen areas with scattered trees, gardens. One of the more conspicuous motmots, especially in spring, when often perches on roadside wires and on open branches. Plumage distinctive, with turquoise brow, turquoise-blue wings and tail with big rackets. Nests colonially at cenotes (sacred wells) in some Maya ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico; motmot nests are burrows dug in banks, like a kingfisher.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Eumomota superciliosa
- Authority
- (Sandbach, 1837)
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Momotidae
- Genus
- Eumomota
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black Bee-eater
Merops gularis
A bee-eater of forest and forest edge that appears entirely black at a distance, but in good light shows a bright red throat and electric blue belly, undertail, and chest spots. Western birds have a black eye-line bordered in blue. Unmistakable when seen well. Call is a sharp “ji-lip!” that is not often heard.
Hildebrandt's Spurfowl
Pternistis hildebrandti
Mid-sized francolin in which males and females are strikingly different. Males have a brown back and are boldly marked with black and white below. The smaller female is plainer, with rufous underparts. Found locally in a wide variety of habitats, including grassland, savanna, montane heath, and forest edge. Usually in pairs or small groups. The call is a quick series of raucous notes.
Gray-winged Trumpeter
Psophia crepitans
Chicken-sized and oddly proportioned terrestrial bird of tall rainforest that is common where not hunted. Peculiar shape, behavior, and tendency to occur in large groups render this species difficult to mistake for any other. Groups walk through forest, flicking wings nervously while feeding on insects, small vertebrates, and fallen fruit. Often seen crossing roads through forested regions. Can be extremely noisy, especially when startled; bizarre calls include a variety of grunts, wails, and screams.
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