The rufous motmot is a near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found from northeastern Honduras south to western Ecuador, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil.
Region
Central America and western Amazonia
Typical Environment
Occurs from northeastern Honduras through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama into western Colombia and Ecuador, and south and east into northern Bolivia and western Brazil. It inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests, including mature terra firme, swampy forest, and tall secondary growth. Often found along shaded streams and in ravines where earthen banks are suitable for nesting. Generally avoids open habitats but may venture to forest edges and clearings with tall trees.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The rufous motmot is one of the largest motmots and is known for its distinctive racket-tipped tail, which it often swings like a pendulum when perched. It nests in long burrows excavated in earthen banks or sloping ground. Despite its bright colors, it can be surprisingly inconspicuous, spending long periods motionless in the shaded understory. Its deep, owl-like hoots carry far through humid forests.
Canopy Lodge - El Valle, Panama (flash photo)
Temperament
quiet and skulking
Flight Pattern
short, direct flights with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically seen alone, in pairs, or small family groups. Territorial, with pairs maintaining nest burrows in earthen banks. Both sexes excavate tunnels and share incubation and chick-rearing duties. Perches silently for long periods and sallies to the ground or foliage to seize prey.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives deep, resonant hoots, often a paired “huu-hoot” or a low, far-carrying whoop. Calls are repeated at intervals, especially at dawn and dusk, and can sound owl-like.
Plumage
Rich rufous head, neck, and breast with green to olive upperparts and darker wings; long tail with bare shafts ending in racket tips.
Diet
Eats large insects such as beetles, katydids, and orthopterans, along with spiders and other arthropods. Also takes small vertebrates including lizards and frogs when available. Supplements its diet with fruits and berries, especially in the wet season.
Preferred Environment
Forages from low to mid-level perches in shaded forest understory and along stream corridors. Often drops to the ground to seize prey or makes short sallies to foliage and trunks. Uses quiet sit-and-wait tactics rather than active pursuit.
