The Story
I photographed this Andean Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis) at El Palmar, the entrance to the Alto Combeima forest reserve in the Cañón del Combeima above Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. It is found from northern Colombia to western Bolivia, and in Colombia it occurs in all three Andean ranges, while farther south it lives only on the eastern side of the Andes. It feeds mainly on arthropods and also eats fruit, and it uses forest edges and secondary forest as well as humid montane forest. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/500 sec, f/11, ISO 3200, +0.5 EV. Birding at El Palmar follows the reserve’s rules for bird conservation areas, with registered operators, and playback is not allowed.
©2022 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