Order
Coraciiformes
Family
Momotidae
Genus
Momotus
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

 - Trinidad Motmot
 - Trinidad Motmot
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Trinidad Motmot Momotus bahamensis

Thomas S. Schulenberg
Version: 1.0 — Published April 15, 2011

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Introduction

The Trinidad Motmot is a representative of the "Blue-crowned Motmot" complex. For many years, all members of this group were considered to be conspecific, but members of this group now are reclassified as representing five different species. The Trinidad Motmot is confined to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geographically isolated from other motmots, as no other representative of the "Blue-crowned Motmot" group occurs on the adjacent mainland in northeastern Venezuela. The Trinidad Motmot shares many features in common with other "Blue-crowned Motmots," such as the black center of the crown, bordered below with a broad blue band; the broad black line (or "mask")  through the eye; and the long tail with "raquet" tips. The Trinidad Motmot is strongly rufous on the underparts, however. As in other motmots, the nest is at the end of a long tunnel in the ground. Although there is some information on the basic life history of the Trinidad Motmot, the species has received relatively attention from researchers.

Distribution of the Trinidad Motmot - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Trinidad Motmot

Recommended Citation

Schulenberg, T. S. (2011). Trinidad Motmot (Momotus bahamensis), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.trimot1.01