The Story
I photographed this Andean Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis) at Finca La Conchita, in the Kilómetro 18 area near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in October 2019. It lives in the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia, and in Colombia it occurs in all three cordilleras, from 1,500 to 3,100 meters. It has a stout black bill, a black crown ringed by a blue diadem, and a long tail with dark blue racquet tips. It lives mainly in humid montane forest, often near streams, as well as forest edges and secondary forest. It eats mostly arthropods and some fruit, and it has been recorded taking a small marsupial. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though its numbers are believed to be falling.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/2500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200, −1.7 EV. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18 is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Andean Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis) belongs to the family Momotidae (Motmots) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List