We can easily ID these beautiful birds as Turquoise-browed Motmots because of their distinctive coloring and distinctive tails. The tail is very long with a large bare shaft in the center and with the tips of the tail shaped like rackets. The bare feather shaft is the longer than in any of the other motmots. The Turquoise-browed Motmot is mostly green-blue with a rufous back and belly. The face is distinctive, with blue/white above the eye and a blue--bordered black patch on the throat.
Both sexes of the Turquoise-browed Motmot have similar tails. In the male the tail is used as a sexual symbol. Males with the longest tails have greater success at attracting females. In both sexes the tail is used as a wag-display, where it is moved back and forth. This is used to warn off predators.
The Turquoise-browed Motmot is the national bird of both El Salvador and Nicaragua.
The Turquoise-browed Motmot is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 294.
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