Broad-billed Motmot

Broad-billed Motmot, here is a very learned name for our wide-billed motmot! The scientific name found by English ornithologist and taxidermist Benjamin Leadbeater (1760-1837) is a two-word description of our bird: golden amber with a wide bill could be the literal translation of the scientific name. It should be noted that among the six recognized subspecies, ssp Colombianum was discovered late by American ornithologist Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee (1901-1984) in 1950. The Broad-billed Motmot is of medium size for a Motmot, 31-39 cm, the black bill is long, strong and of course wide, like many momotids, it is also serrated. The head is big, in proportion to the body, brown-red in color, the black loral line is wide and covers almost the entire eye socket, it extends behind the eye, giving the bird a masked appearance. The iris is dark brown, almost black, the neck brown-red in contrast to the green back, the green coverts a little darker than the back. The chin is blue-green while the chest retains the same brown-red color of the head and the Broad-billed Motmot shows two black eye-shaped spots on its chest, a distinctive mark of the majority of Motmots. The upper part of the abdomen is green and becomes rather blue-turquoise towards the lower abdomen. The tail is green to blue-green, ending with two racquets about 2 cm in diameter crossed with a black line at their extremity. Some birds may present only one racquet, or none at all, this absence may be due to mating or wear. There is no dimorphism, juveniles are generally darker in tone, the beautiful brown-red color is more a mix of brown and green-olive and a thin blue line above the eye appears, disappearing with age.The Broad-billed Motmot can often be mistaken for the Rufous Motmot, with which it shares the same habitat. Differentiating between them can sometimes be difficult, since the Broad-billed Motmot is usually smaller. The blue-green spot beneath its chin easily distinguishes it from the Rufous Motmot, which has a reddish chin. Six subspecies are recognized: ssp. platyrhynchum, which gives its name to the species; ssp. minor, with a duller coloration; ssp. colombianum, which has a larger blue-turquoise mark on the chin and throat, and has a smaller bill; ssp. pyrrholaemum, which is dark brown on its head and chest, and has a larger blue-turquoise mark on the chin and throat; ssp. orienticola, which is paler than platyrhynchum; and ssp. chlorophrys, which has slight yellow-green eyebrow marks.