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Animal profile

Turquoise-browed Motmot

Eumomota superciliosa

AvesDry forest, scrub, forest edge, hedgerows and gardensLeast Concern

Field profile

The turquoise-browed motmot is a slim green and rufous bird with a bright turquoise brow stripe and a long tail ending in two bare shafts tipped with racquets. It hunts insects and small vertebrates from a perch. It nests in burrows dug into earth banks.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-06-09

Turquoise-browed Motmot

The motmot wags its tail at predators

Motmots swing the racquet-tipped tail from side to side like a pendulum. Field experiments indicate the display is directed at predators, signalling that the bird has detected them, rather than at other motmots.

Read with evidence →

Turquoise-browed Motmot | Daily Animal Facts