Broad-billed Motmot: Tico Rainforest B&B, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, December 2024 — It was the call of the Broad-billed Motmot that drew us out into Victor’s little patch of second-growth rainforest early in the morning and we had glimpses of the bird right away…but then it was off on its rounds and it was not until a couple of hours later that it came back and sat so I could photograph it. It was pretty tame and allowed me to circle for angles and light for a good half hour while it hunted flying insects…eventually catching and eating a monster cricket. At one time it was thought that the little paddles at the end of the tail feathers were the result of intentional preening, but recent studies have suggested that the barbs along that section of tail feather are loosely attached and fall off naturally as the bird moves through foliage. Why? Of course, no one has been able to answer that question…but the paddle tails certainly add to the allure of an already beautiful bird. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii @ 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. +0.3EV Processed in Photomator. (Including some noise reduction in these ISO 8000 shots).