RUFOUS-CAPPED MOTMOT Baryphthengus ruficapillus ATLANTIC FOREST
You would think that a bird so big and colourful would be easy to see wouldn´t you? However in the dense foliage of the Atlantic Forest the green plumage of the Rufous-capped Motmot renders him almost invisible. You´ll hear them a lot - they join together to give choruses of their pigeon-like calls before sunrise and during sunset, but seeing them is not easy. Bizarrely motmots are hole-nesters. They exit their long tunnel-nests backwards, presumably so as not to damage their long tail whilst underground.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1  (FPAVE2610PH) Adult, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Sylvia Qu June 2008 ).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE2611PH) Adult, Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE2612PH) Head detail, Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Regis Nossent June).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE2613PH) Upperwing, Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE2614PH) Nest burrow, Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 6 - (FPAVE2615PH) Nest burrow, PN San Rafael (Hugo del Castillo February 2008).
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Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Regis Nossent, Sylvia Qu and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.