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Blue-capped Motmot

Momotus coeruliceps

Range & Recent Observations

Blue-capped Motmotis a year-round resident and doesn't follow a migration flyway. See the Range tab for where it lives.

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Blue-capped Motmot

The blue-capped motmot (Momotus coeruliceps) or blue-crowned motmot, is a colorful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands of eastern Mexico. This species and the Lesson's Motmot, Whooping Motmot, Trinidad Motmot, 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 38 to 43 cm (15 to 17 in). These birds often sit still, and in their dense forest habitat can be difficult to see, despite their size.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Momotus coeruliceps
Family
Motmots
Order
Coraciiformes

Similar species

Other members of the motmots family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Blue-throated Motmot Aspatha gularis
  • Lesson's Motmot Momotus lessonii
  • Russet-crowned Motmot Momotus mexicanus
  • Tody Motmot Hylomanes momotula
  • Turquoise-browed Motmot Eumomota superciliosa

Know when the Blue-capped Motmot turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

How rare bird alerts work →

Gear for spotting Blue-capped Motmot

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