Momotus momota
Silhouette: Sofía Terán Sánchez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The Amazonian motmot (Momotus momota) is a colorful near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in the Amazon lowlands and low Andean foothills from eastern Venezuela to eastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina.
The Amazonian motmot and the blue-capped (Momotus coeruleiceps), whooping (M. subrufrescens), Trinidad (M. bahamensis), Lesson's (M. lessonii), and Andean motmots (M. aequatorialis) were all at one time considered conspecific. The Amazonian motmot has nine recognized subspecies; they are listed in the "Distribution and habitat" section below.
The Amazonian motmot's plumage varies among the subspecies. The bodies of all are shades of green. All have a long tail that has extended feathers with racquet tips that are green or black. Most have a black eyemask, though their size and shape differ. The central crown is black and surrounded or partially bordered by a blue band. The nominate subspecies has a chestnut nape. Momotus momota ignobilis and M. m. cametensis have more extensive chestnut on the neck and face.
The Amazonian motmot is widely distributed in South America east of the Andes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 8 | Brownsberg Nature Park | 🇸🇷 Suriname | |
| 9 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 11 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Parc zoologique de Montpellier | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Birmingham Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 14 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Cleres Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 19 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Roger Williams Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Mangal das Garças | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 22 | Staten Island Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 24 | Dallas World Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | National Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Bird Kingdom | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 27 | The Zoo In Forest Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Amazonian Motmot sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve on a given day, based on 56 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 122nd most-seen of the 328 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Amazonian Motmot in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January–April and June, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Amazonian Motmot sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Amazonian Motmot sightings, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Amboró National Park (Bolivia, about 40%), Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, about 30%) and Sierra de la Macarena National Park (Colombia, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Coraciiformes
The closest relatives of the Amazonian Motmot that you can see in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (order Coraciiformes, Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies) are Ringed Kingfisher (about 60%), Amazon Kingfisher (about 60%) and Green Kingfisher (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Amazonian Motmot is recorded against all the birds logged in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (56 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.
