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SPECIES PROFILE

Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa)

Eumomota

IUCN STATUS

Least Concern

Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa) — Mexico through Central America; the most widespread motmot in Honduras and El Salvador; national bird of both countries

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern

CLASS

Aves

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Mexico through Central America; the most widespread motmot in Honduras and El Salvador; national bird of both countries

DIET

Omnivore

HABITAT

Tropical dry forest, forest edges, agricultural areas with scattered trees, and scrubby lowland woodland; highly adaptable

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Aves

ORDER

Coraciiformes

FAMILY

Momotidae

GENUS

Eumomota

📋 Description

SIZE

34 cm including elongated tail rackets; 65 g

COLORATION

Rufous-orange crown and back; turquoise-blue face stripe and wing coverts; black central crown and mask; two elongated tail feathers with bare shafts ending in blue-green rackets

ADAPTATIONS

Swings its racket tail like a pendulum to signal vigilance to potential predators — thought to advertise to predators that they have been detected; excavates a burrow nest in a bank

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Tropical dry forest, forest edges, agricultural areas with scattered trees, and scrubby lowland woodland; highly adaptable

DIET

Omnivore

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Mexico through Central America; the most widespread motmot in Honduras and El Salvador; national bird of both countries

REPRODUCTION

Excavates a 1–2 m burrow in an earthen bank; 3–6 eggs; both parents incubate; both feed the chicks

DIET DETAILS

Insects, lizards, frogs, and small snakes caught by sallying from a perch; also fruit and berries

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Habitat loss from deforestation and agricultural expansion; generally resilient and adapts well to disturbed habitats

💡 Interesting Facts

1

The Turquoise-browed Motmot is the national bird of both Honduras and El Salvador — the only species to hold that distinction in two countries simultaneously.

2

The motmot's pendulum tail-wagging behaviour is thought to be an "honest signal" to predators — research shows snakes are significantly less likely to attack motmots that are actively wagging their tails.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Copán Ruinas area, Honduras, has Turquoise-browed Motmots perching openly near the ruins and surrounding dry forest

Comayagua Valley near Comayagua city has Turquoise-browed Motmots in dry forest and agricultural land with scattered trees

Lago de Yojoa near Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Honduras, has motmots in forest edges along the lakeshore

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

Year-round throughout the Comayagua Valley and Pacific Honduras; Copán area and Río Amarillo valley have abundant pairs perching openly.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

Year-round. Common throughout the Pacific lowlands and dry forest of Honduras; the national bird of both Honduras and El Salvador; impossible to miss near ruins.