Blue Crowned Mot Mot (Momotus momota) is a Neotropical species and is a resident of a large area from Mexico south to Bolivia and Argentina. This is a variable species. The breast can be cinnamon green in some races. Note the unusual spatulate tails.

Howard and Moore show about 20 subspecies. The species was discovered on the north shore of mainland South America. Consequently, the nominate subspecies, Momotus momota momota, is found from eastern Venezuela through the Guyanas to northern Brazil.

The subspecies coeruliceps is found in north eastern and central Mexico. The subspecies goldmani is found in south eastern Mexico south into Guatemala. The subspecies exiguus is found in southern Mexico. The subspecies lessonii is found from southern Mexico to western Panama. The subspecies conexus is found from Panama to northwestern Colombia.

The subspecies spatha is local to the Guajira Peninsula of Colombia. The subspecies olivares is found in north central Colombia. The subspecies subrufescens is found in northern Colombia east to northern Venezuela. The subspecies osgoodi is found in western Venezuela.

The subspecies bahamensis is found on Trinidad and Tobago. (These are two small islands near the coast of Venezuela that are too far south and too near Venezuela to be included in the southern Lesser Antilles.) The subspecies microcephanus is found from south eastern Colombia and eastern Ecuador into northwestern Brazil. The subspecies argenticinctus is found in western Ecuador into northwestern Peru. The subspecies ignobilis is found in eastern Peru and western Brazil. The subspecies nattereri is found in north eastern Bolivia.

The subspecies simplex is found in western Brazil. The subspecies cametensis is found in north central Brazil. The subspecies parensis is found in north eastern Brazil. The subspecies margraviniana is found in the dry areas in east central Brazil.

At the southern end of the range, the subspecies pilcomajensis is found in southern Bolivia, southern Brazil, and NW Argentina.

Motmot Family (Family Momotidae) is found only in the New World tropics. There are eight species in this family.

Hornbills, rollers, and kingfishers (Order Coraciformes) are characterized by having their three front toes joined for a portion of their length. There are seven families in this order.

Aves contains about 8,650 different species of living birds known to science. Each year about one new species is discovered in some remote rain forest or remote island. In addition, scientists have been raising many subspecies to full species status which may raise the species count to 10,000. Birdlife recognizes 10,027 species as of 2011.

However, each year about one species goes extinct. The rate of extinction is increasing, and the rate of new discovery is decreasing, so that the number of bird species will soon begin to decline rapidly. Although different taxonomists would organize the birds differently, there are approximately twenty-seven orders of birds. These orders are broken down into about one hundred and fifty-five different families.

Recent research of the genetic structure of some of the shore birds and owls would indicate that the present organization of orders and families should have some modification.

The birds are a worldwide group of animals that are characterized by having the front limbs modified into wings that are used for flying. Perhaps the most unique feature of the birds is the feathers. These feathers are made up of a central support called a quill and a series of small filaments that are hooked together as barbs.

For many years it was believed that Archaeopteryx discovered in Bavaria was the oldest bird from about 150 million years ago. However, in l986, Sankar Chattterjee, a Texas paleontologist, reportedly discovered a bird in the genus Protoavis that lived about 225 million years ago.

When this project was begun in 1978, we used Austin & Singer for bird taxonomy. Since then, we have adopted many changes, but have kept some older concepts that are still found widely in the literature. Recently, we have used Clements and Howard & Moore. Very recently, we have used Monroe and Sibley for the higher taxonomy of the perching birds.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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