Rufous Motmot

The Rufous Motmot is the largest member of the motmot family, a big, richly colored bird with warm rufous-orange feathering covering the head, neck, and underparts, broken by a black mask through the eye and a small black spot on the chest. The back and wings are a deep green, contrasting handsomely with the glowing orange tones of the head and body.

Like its relatives, it possesses a long tail ending in two bare-shafted racket tips, which it swings gently from side to side while perched quietly in the forest understorey, patiently watching for prey before making a sudden sallying strike.

Key field marks

• Large size, the biggest motmot species
• Rich rufous-orange head, neck, and underparts
• Green back and wings, black mask through the eye
• Long tail with bare-shafted racket tips

Similar species

• Broad-billed Motmot is much smaller with more limited rufous coloring confined mainly to the chest, rather than covering the whole head and underparts.
• Blue-crowned Motmot shows a blue-and-black crown pattern and green-washed underparts rather than the extensive rufous coloring of the Rufous Motmot.

Habitat

Inhabits humid lowland and foothill rainforest, favoring the shaded understorey.

Range

Found from Honduras and Nicaragua south through Central America and into western Colombia, Ecuador, and the western Amazon basin.

Migration

Non-migratory and sedentary, remaining within a fixed territory.

Behavior

Typically solitary or in pairs, perching quietly in the shaded understorey and sallying out to capture prey; swings its long tail slowly from side to side while perched.

Voice

A deep, resonant, hooting call, lower-pitched than that of many smaller motmots.

Feeding

Feeds on insects, small reptiles, and fruit, typically caught by sallying from a low to mid-level perch.

Nesting

Excavates a nesting burrow in an earthen bank, sometimes quite deep; lays 3-4 white eggs.