Lesson's motmot or the blue-diademed motmot, is a colorful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands of southern Mexico to western Panama. This species and the blue-capped motmot, whooping motmot, Trinidad motmot, Amazonian motmot, and Andean motmot were all considered conspecific.
Region
Mesoamerica
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Mexico through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica to western Panama. Prefers humid and semi-humid forests, gallery forests, and forest edges, but also uses secondary growth, shaded coffee farms, and mature gardens. Often found along streams and ravines with earthen banks for nesting. Typically perches quietly in the midstory or lower canopy and forages near forest edges and clearings.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Lesson's motmot, also called the blue-diademed motmot, is famous for its long tail ending in racket-shaped tips created by barbs that naturally wear off. It typically hunts by sit-and-wait from a shaded perch, dropping to the ground for prey. Pairs dig long nesting burrows in earthen banks. It plays an important role in forests and gardens by consuming insects and dispersing seeds.
M. l. lessoniishowing tail feathers
Temperament
calm but wary, often quietly perched
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief, direct flights between perches
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs; pairs maintain small territories, especially during breeding season. Both sexes excavate a burrow nest in an earthen bank, sometimes several meters long. They are monogamous breeders and feed nestlings with large insects and small vertebrates.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A low, resonant series of hollow hoo notes, often given in pairs and carrying far through forest edges. Also gives soft grunts and chatters during close interactions. Vocalizations are most frequent at dawn and dusk.
