Russet-crowned Motmot

The russet-crowned motmot (Momotus mexicanus) is a species of motmot native to north-western Mexico and central Guatemala. It is a year-round resident of the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and scrubland. The russet-crowned motmot is the most understudied species of motmot in the family Momotidae. "Russet" refers to the reddish-brown colour of the bird's head and originates from the Latin russus meaning red. == Taxonomy == Motmots are a part of the order Coraciiformes which also includes bee-eaters, rollers, todies, and kingfishers. The russet-crowned motmot is one of seven species in the genus Momotus of the family Momotidae. Russet-crowned motmots are very sedentary because of their strong site fidelity; 60% return to the same nesting areas as the previous year because of the low amount of suitable nesting sites. As a result, gene flow between different populations is limited which can lead to speciation. Reyes et al. found that genetic variation between three populations in Mexico was very high (12.9%) considering that the populations were relatively close. There are four recognized subspecies of russet-crowned motmots: M.m. mexicanus M.m. vanrossemi M.m. saturates M.m. castaneiceps The subspecies M.m. castaneiceps is part of a very isolated population of russet-crowned motmots only found…