The following report is on the Blue-crowned motmot, one of the birds to be on display at the new aviary at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
The Blue-crowned motmot, its scientific name being Motmotus motmota, lives in areas of Central and the northern half of South America. Its habitat is in the rainforests below the canopy, or top, of the rainforest.
The length of the Blue-crowned motmot is between 11 and 18 inches (28-45 cm). This length inclues the tail.
The one feature that most distinguishes almost all motmots is their long tails. Close to the tip of the tail, the barbs are mssing for about one inch or more. This gives the appearance not unlike that of a tennis racket. The only explanation for the feathers being like this is that they are used for display.
When breeding time comes around, the birds either find or dig burrows in the ground or a river bank in which they will nest. The female then lays three to four white, almost round eggs in this unlined nest. Both sexes share in the incubation of the eggs and the feeding of the young.
Born naked, the young motmots will spend the next four weeks of their lives in the nest. During this time the parents bring insects or fruit to the young. At the end of the four weeks the young are able to fly, but the elongated tail feathers have not yet developed.
The diet of the Blue-crowned motmot consists mainly of insects, although occasionally they will feed on small lizards, spiders, and fruits.
When they locate their prey, they swiftly fly down, plucking their prey with their powerful, serrated bill, and return to their perch. Here they beat their prey ferociously against the branch before swallowing it.
As you can see, the Blue-crowned motmot is quite an unusual bird.
Resources
The Encyclopedia of Birds
Birds, Their Life, Their Ways, Their World