About Momotus coeruliceps (Gould, 1836)
The blue-capped motmot (Momotus coeruliceps), also called the blue-crowned motmot, is a colorful near-passerine bird that inhabits forests and woodlands in eastern Mexico. This species, along with Lesson's Motmot, Whooping Motmot, Trinidad Motmot, Amazonian Motmot, and Andean Motmot, was all previously considered a single conspecific species. The IUCN uses the name blue-crowned to identify this species, though this name was also previously used for the entire former species complex. It is the only species from the former complex that has a blue central crown. It has a black eyemask, and its call is a low, owl-like ooo-doot. Blue-crowned motmots have a body length between 38 and 43 cm (15 to 17 inches). These birds often remain still, and can be hard to spot in their dense forest habitat even with their large size. They eat small prey including insects and lizards, and also regularly consume fruit. Like most members of Coraciiformes, motmots nest in tunnels dug into banks, and lay around three or four white eggs per clutch.
