Broad-billed Motmot

The Broad-billed Motmot, Electron platyrhynchum, is a diminutive yet striking bird, one of the smallest within the Momotidae family. With an average length of 12 inches and weighing around 60 grams, it boasts a cinnamon-rufous plumage on its upper body, including the head, neck, and chest. A distinctive black patch adorns each cheek and the auricular region, with another central patch on the chest. The lower body transitions from greenish to bluish hues, culminating in a long tail that shifts from blue to black. The tail features two elongated, racquet-shaped central feathers. The bird's broad, flattened bill is black with serrated edges and a keel on the upper mandible. Males and females are indistinguishable in appearance, exhibiting no sexual dimorphism. Juveniles present a duller, darker coloration with white on their bill and a blue-green streak over the eye.

Identification Tips

To identify the Broad-billed Motmot, look for its smaller size and larger black cheek patch compared to the similar Rufous Motmot, Baryphthengus martii. Additionally, the Broad-billed Motmot has a blue-green chin, setting it apart from its cousin.

Habitat

The Broad-billed Motmot resides in humid forests, warm lowlands, and foothills, preferring elevations below 3,000 feet.

Distribution

This nonmigratory species is found from eastern Honduras to Panama and extends into northwestern South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.

Behaviour

Typically seen alone or in pairs, these birds are sedentary and nonmigratory. They exhibit a hunting strategy known as "sally-strike," conserving energy by perching and observing until they spot prey, then swiftly capturing it before returning to their perch to feed.

Song & Calls

The Broad-billed Motmot's dawn chorus is a nasal "cwaah" sound, often repeated at length or accelerated into a duet. Their less common call is a quiet "tuk" that may evolve into a rattle.

Breeding

In Costa Rica, breeding occurs from February to May, with clutches averaging 2 to 3 eggs. These socially monogamous birds nest in earth-bank burrows, with both parents sharing incubation duties, though females may incubate for longer periods. The hatchlings emerge naked and blind, with both parents contributing to their feeding.

Diet and Feeding

Primarily insectivorous, the Broad-billed Motmot's diet consists largely of insects and their larvae, supplemented by spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and occasionally small vertebrates like snakes, frogs, and lizards. They have a particular fondness for cicadas when in season.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List of 2016 classifies the Broad-billed Motmot as a species of least concern. Despite being common within its range, it faces threats from deforestation.