Momotus momota is found in Central and South America countries. The blue-crowned motmot ranges from northeastern Mexico to northwestern Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, Trinidad, and northern Argentina.

(Skutch 1964; Lindholm 1991; Orejuela 1977).

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )

Male M. momota are about 40.64 centimeters in length, while the females are slightly smaller. In plumage the sexes are indistinguishable. In both, the crown is black, bordered all around by a wide band of blue, which covers most of the forehead. The back and upper tail feathers vary in shade from olive-green to parrot-green. The wings are brighter green with bluish green primaries. Racket-shaped feathers are one of the characteristics that give tropical birds so exotic an aura. The two central feathers of the long tail, which are greenish near the end and bluer near the tip, extend far beyond the lateral rectrices, and near the end each has a short length of shaft from which the vanes have fallen, transforming it into a slender stalk that supports an isolated, blue, black-tipped, spatulate expanse of feather. The black bill is broad and heavy, with coarse serrations along the edge of the upper mandible in its middle half. The large eyes are dull red, and the short legs and feet are grey. In northeastern Mexico is a form (M. momota coeruliceps) with a crown that is totally blue. The nestlings hatch completely naked.

(Skutch 1964; Lindholm 1991)

Average mass: 102 g.

• Terrestrial
• Marine

In various parts of Central America, M. momota reside in many kinds of environments. The blue-crowned motmot can exist in the Pacific lowlands, with long and severe dry seasons, in deforested highland areas inhabiting coffee plantations, with low shade trees, patches of light secondary woods, thickets, hedgerows, shady gardens, and wooded ravines.

(Skutch, 1964)

Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest

Momotus momota are largely insectivorous, but they vary their diet and will consume fruits. Beetles appear to be their principal food source, and among other kinds they capture many dung-beetles. Other insects taken include large cicadas, phasmids or stick-insects, large green othopterans, and larvae of various kinds. Spiders and small lizards are also occasionally captured. The blue-crowned motmot has two ways of dealing with prey before it is consumed. One practice is taking the prey and beating it against the bird's own perch until it becomes inactive, often until it is badly disfigured, before it is swallowed or carried to the young chicks. Other times the food is dispatched with while still on the ground. Occasionally birds accompany a swarm of army ants to catch the insects, spiders, lizards and other creatures which the ants drive from concealment in the ground foliage and make readily available to the foraging birds.

(Skutch 1964)

Preparation for reproduction begins months in advance, during the rainy season. Blue-crowned motmots usually choose less obvious sites, so that their burrows are difficult to discover. Instead of beginning its tunnel in an exposed soil surface, M. momota prefers to start from the side of some pit or hollow in the ground, such as the den of a burrowing animal, or a hole dug by man. The future parents gain two advantages by digging their burrows so early; the first advantage is the motmots find the soil soft and easily worked. Secondly, the burrow already looks old when laying begins, and is less likely to arouse the interest of predators. Eggs in various South American regions are laid between March and early April. In other areas in Mexico, egg laying is estimated to be between early May and late June. Both sexes incubate the eggs. The female usually incubates at night. Incubation periods vary in different regions, but usually last from 13 days to about 3 weeks. The motmot parents brood their undeveloped young for the first three to four days after hatching; thereafter, the parents simply feed them during the day and leave them unattended in the burrow at night.

(Skutch 1964; Orejuela 1977)

Momotus momota is a wide-ranging bird that is one of eight species in the family Momotidae. However, M. momota is the only species of motmot able to reproduce in captivity.

(Lindholm 1991)

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

The blue-crowned motmot is a featured bird on Neotropical and Central American nature trips. (Schwartz)