Motmots | Momotidae

Motmots | Momotos

Motmots are a family of tropical America; within the kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers they are the closest relatives of the todies. One species lives in the region, the Trinidad Motmot, found only on Trinidad and Tobago and common on Tobago in forest and gardens. It is a slender, medium-sized bird, green above and rufous below, with a black mask, a blue band around the crown and a long tail. In many species, this one included, the two central tail feathers end in a racket; the loose barbs above it are lost through wear and preening, leaving a bare shaft with a small vane at the tip. When perched it often swings its tail like a pendulum. It hunts from a branch for large insects and lizards, and also eats fruit. The voice is a low, hollow, often doubled hoot, mainly at dawn and dusk. The nest is a long tunnel dug in an earth bank, with the white eggs in a chamber at the end.