Electron carinatum
Silhouette: Sofía Terán Sánchez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The keel-billed motmot (Electron carinatum) is a Vulnerable species of bird in the motmot family Momotidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. The keel-billed motmot was formally described as Pionites carinatus. It was later referred to as Prionirhynchus carinatus but eventually was renamed Electron carinatum.
The keel-billed motmot is thought to be closely related to the broad-billed motmot (E. platyrhynchum); they are the only members of the genus Electron. The two may be conspecific. Their plumage is very different but their structure and vocalizations are very similar.
The keel-billed motmot is monotypic. The keel-billed motmot is 30.5 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in) long; one male weighed 65 g (2.3 oz). It is a smallish member of the motmot family. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a rufus forehead and a black "mask" with a turquoise-blue arc above it on an otherwise green face. Their upper parts are also green. Their chin is pale turquoise. Their underparts are mostly rufous in the northern part of their range becoming greenish to greenish cinnamon in the south. Their chest has a black... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Keel-billed Motmot sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 1,170 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 160th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and September–May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Keel-billed Motmot in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and August, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Keel-billed Motmot sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Keel-billed Motmot sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park (Honduras, about 20%) and Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Keel-billed Motmot is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (1,170 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
