Unlike most bird species where only the males express elaborate traits, the turquoise-browed motmot expresses the extraordinary raketed tail in both sexes. Research indicates that the tail has evolved to function differently for the sexes. Males apparently use their tail as a sexual signal, as males with longer tails have greater pairing and reproductive success. In addition to this function, the tail is used by both sexes in a wag-display, wereby the tail is moved back-and-forth in a pendulous fashion. The wag-display is performed in the presence of a predator, and is thought to confer naturally selected benefits by communicating to the predator that it has been seen and that pursuit will not result in capture. This form of INTERSPECIFIC COMMUNICATION is referred to as a PURSUIT-DETERRENT SIGNAL.