Blue-throated motmot
Kingdom
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Class
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Infraclass
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Family
Genus
SPECIES
Aspatha gularis

The blue-throated motmot (Aspatha gularis ) is a species of bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

Appearance

The blue-throated motmot is 25.5 to 28.0 cm (10.0 to 11.0 in) long and weighs 56.0 to 67.3 g (1.98 to 2.37 oz). It has a long, graduated, tail that in contrast to that of most other motmots does not have racquet tips. The side of the adult's head is ochre with a black "ear" spot. It is mostly green above and paler green below. The throat is blue with a black spot just below it. The juvenile is duller and the green of the back is washed with olive.

Distribution

Geography

The blue-throated motmot is found from Oaxaca and Chiapas in Mexico south and east through Guatemala and a bit of El Salvador to Honduras. It inhabits montane evergreen and pine forest of medium to high humidity. In elevation it ranges from 1,300 to 3,000 m (4,300 to 9,800 ft) in Mexico but in Honduras it is not found below 1,800 m (5,900 ft).

Blue-throated motmot habitat map

Biome

Blue-throated motmot habitat map
Blue-throated motmot
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Diet and Nutrition

The blue-throated motmot forages by plucking insects, especially beetles, from foliage while flying. It also eats some fruit and apparently feeds fruit to nestlings.

Mating Habits

The blue-throated motmot nests in a burrow that it excavates in an earth bank; the burrows can be up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long and often have bends in them. In Guatemala it lays eggs in April, and a fledgling was collected in late May in Mexico. The clutch size is three.

Population

Population number

The IUCN has assessed the blue-throated motmot as being of Least Concern. Though its population appears to be decreasing, its population and range are large enough to achieve that rating

References

1. Blue-throated motmot Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-throated_motmot
2. Blue-throated motmot on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22682983/152200542
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/334608

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