Saw back
| Saw back | ||||||||
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Blue-parted motmot ( Momotus momota ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Momotidae | ||||||||
| Gray , 1840 |
The sawbacks or motmots (Momotidae) are a small family of birds from the order of the sackbirds (Coraciiformes). The sawack family comprises six genera with fourteen species .
Appearance
The appearance of these birds is unmistakable. The build is robust, the legs are relatively long. The middle tail feathers are elongated, which is the most distinctive feature of these birds. In some species a large part of the plume of these feathers is missing, and only at the end a spatulate plume is formed. The size of the different species varies greatly: the dwarf motmot ( Hylomanes momotula ), the smallest species, has a total body length of 19 centimeters, while the largest species, the blue- crowned motmot ( Momotus momota ), is 53 centimeters long. The weight varies from 30 to 200 grams. The beak is strongly built, quite long and slightly bent downwards. The shape is different for the individual species, so it can also be very wide and flat. The beak is, except for the dwarf motmot, sawn on the edge. Sawbacks are very colorful birds. The back is often green, the belly area is often red-brown, and the head usually has colored patterns. The sexes hardly differ externally - the tail is usually a little longer in the male. Young birds usually have a dull head pattern, otherwise they are very similar to adults.
distribution and habitat
The saw backs are found in the tropical regions of Central and South America - their range extends from Mexico to northern Argentina. They are largely absent on the Caribbean islands, they can only be found here on Trinidad and Tobago .
The sawracks mainly inhabit dense lowland forests, but also forest clearings. There is a specialty here with the blue-throated motot ( Aspatha gularis ), which lives in the cloud and mixed forests of the highlands.
Motmots are still numerous in their habitat, but they are threatened by the increasing destruction of the rainforests.
nutrition
The saw backs feed on fruits and small animals such as small lizards and insects . They often prey on the latter in flight. Sawacks sit in a control room for hunting. After spotting and catching prey, they usually carry it back to the control room and hit a branch several times before eating the prey. Sometimes they follow wandering ants to destroy fleeing insects.
Reproduction
The birds are monogamous . They create the nests in brood tubes, which both sexes dig together for example on embankments. The female lays 2 to 4 white eggs . Both parents take care of the brood, which hatch after 20 days. They leave the nest about 30 days after hatching. Some species breed in colonies of up to 40 pairs.
Genera and species
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Hylomanes
- Dwarf motmot ( Hylomanes momotula )
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Aspatha
- Bluethroat Motmot ( Aspatha gularis )
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Electron
- Flatbill motmot ( Electron platyrhynchum )
- Kielschnabelmotmot ( Electron carinatum )
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Eumomota
- Turquoise brow motmot ( Eumomota superciliosa )
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Baryphthengus
- Rufous Motmot ( Baryphthengus martii )
- Rotkopfmotmot ( Baryphthengus ruficapillus )
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Momotus
- Brown- tip motmot ( Momotus mexicanus )
- Amazonasmotmot ( Momotus momota )
- Highland motmot ( Momotus aequatorialis )
- Trinidad motmot ( Momotus bahamensis )
- Blue- parted motmot ( Momotus coeruliceps )
- Diademmotmot ( Momotus lessonii )
- Rötelbauchmotmot ( Momotus subrufescens )
literature
- Joseph Michael Forshaw, Alan Kemp: Kingfishers and Relatives. In: Joseph Michael Forshaw (ed.), David Kirshner: Encyclopedia of the Animal World: Birds. Translated from the English by Derek Vinyard. Orbis, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 978-3-572-01378-4 , pp. 143-144.
