Bird Guide

Blue-throated Motmot vs Tody Motmot

Blue-throated Motmot (Aspatha gularis)

Blue-throated Motmot

Aspatha gularis

Medium63 gForest

The blue-throated motmot is 25.5 to 28.0 cm (10.0 to 11.0 in) long and weighs 56.0 to 67.3 g (1.98 to 2.37 oz). It has a long, graduated, tail that in contrast to that of most other motmots does not have racquet tips. The side of the adult's head is ochre with a black "ear" spot. It is mostly green above and paler green below. The throat is blue with a black spot just below it. The juvenile is duller and the green of the back is washed with olive. Voice: The blue-throated motmot typically calls from a high exposed perch. It usually gives single "hoot" or "huuk" notes but sometimes strings them together as "hoodloodloodloodl..." .

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Blue-throated Motmot
Recorded by Oliver Komar · Call · Opatoro, Departamento de La Paz, Honduras · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) William Stephens, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0
Tody Motmot (Hylomanes momotula)

Tody Motmot

Hylomanes momotula

Small29 gForest

The tody motmot is 16.5 to 18.0 cm (6.5 to 7.1 in) long. Males weigh 27 to 33 g (0.95 to 1.16 oz) and females 25 to 30 g (0.88 to 1.06 oz). It is by far the smallest motmot, and named because it resembles the closely related todies (family Todidae) of the Caribbean. The nominate subspecies has a green crown, a rufous neck, and a green back and rump. It has a blue supercilium and a black mask with a white stripe below it. It has a white throat, a greenish breast with light streaks, and a white belly. The other two subspecies are similar but darker, and M. m. Voice: One of the tody motmot's vocalizations is a "resonant, far-carrying, gruff-sounding 'kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa...' or 'quah quah quah quah...'" . Another is " loud, penetrating, hollow 'whoop!' notes" .

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Barry Cottam · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Blue-throated Motmot and Tody Motmot.