Bird Guide

Rufous-capped Motmot vs Tody Motmot

Rufous-capped Motmot (Baryphthengus ruficapillus)

Rufous-capped Motmot

Baryphthengus ruficapillus

Medium142 gForest

The rufous-capped motmot is 42 cm (17 in) long and weighs 140 to 151 g (4.9 to 5.3 oz). The adults are mostly green above and olive-green below. The crown and nape are rufous and a black "mask" has a turquoise border. The chest has a black spot, there is a rufous band across the belly, and the lower belly is blue-green. The juvenile is similarly colored but duller. Voice: The rufous-capped motmot vocalizes mostly before dawn and at dusk. Its makes a "series of 'hoo-oo-oo-oo-oo' notes" that have been compared to owl calls .

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Daniel S. Katz · 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: Rufous-capped Motmot and Tody Motmot.