Tody Motmot

Tody Motmot

Hylomanes momotula

Silhouette: Sofía Terán Sánchez · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Arenal Volcano National Park

In 3 days <5%

71 Verified sightings at Arenal Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,021 In all 13 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Tody Motmot

The tody motmot (Hylomanes momotula) is a species of near-passerine bird in the motmot family Momotidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Hylomanes. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.

The tody motmot is the sole member of its genus. It has three subspecies, the nominate 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. obscurus also has less white on the throat.

The tody motmot ranges from southern... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:09

Guatemala · 2024

© Manuel Grosselet - Josue de Leon · XC931042 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:16

Guatemala · 2024

© Peter Boesman · XC880137 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:08

Costa Rica · 2011

© Andrew Spencer · XC71982 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
2 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
3 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
5 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
7 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
8 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
9 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
10 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
11 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
12 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
13 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tody Motmot in Arenal Volcano National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tody Motmot sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 71 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 374th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tody Motmot in Arenal Volcano National Park?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tody Motmot in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Tody Motmot?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tody 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.

Which relatives of the Tody Motmot live in Arenal Volcano National Park?

Same family: Momotidae

The closest relatives of the Tody Motmot that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Momotidae, Motmots) are Broad-billed Motmot (about 40%), Rufous Motmot (about 20%) and Keel-billed Motmot (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Tody Motmot sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tody Motmot is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (71 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.

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