Laura Erickson's For the Birds

Motmots are famous for their “racket tail,” and the most exaggerated of all is that of the Turquoise-browed Motmot. The long bare section of the two conspicuous tail feathers starts out as other feathers do, filled out with feather barbs, but in the odd section, these are held weakly, quickly falling out with preening and normal wear and tear. This bare section is longer in the Turquoise-browed Motmot than in other members of the family.

This lovely bird, found from the Yucatan Peninsula to Costa Rica, is conspicuous where found, which perhaps contributed to its selection as national bird of both El Salvador and Nicaragua. You can read more about it at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Neotropical Birds.