Baryphthengus martii
Silhouette: Sofía Terán Sánchez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The rufous motmot (Baryphthengus martii) is a near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found from northeastern Honduras south to western Ecuador, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil. The rufous motmot and rufous-capped motmot (Baryphtengus ruficapillus) are the only two species in their genus, and have sometimes been treated as conspecific and apparently form a superspecies. The rufous motmot has two recognized subspecies, the nominate Baryphthengus martii martii and B. m. semirufus. In the early 20th century, B. m. martii was classified in its own genus, Urospatha. The binomial commemorates the German botanist and explorer Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius.
The rufous motmot is the second-largest member of its family. The male of the nominate subspecies is 42 to 47 cm (17 to 19 in) long and weighs 146 to 160 g (5.1 to 5.6 oz). The female weighs 153 to 173 g (5.4 to 6.1 oz). Male and female B. m. semirufus weigh 185 to 193 g (6.5 to 6.8 oz) and 170 to 208 g... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | San Lorenzo Protected Forest | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | Utría National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 9 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 11 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 12 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 13 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 16 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 17 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 18 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 19 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 20 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Motmot sighting in Darién National Park on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 116th most-seen of the 397 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Motmot in Darién National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and October–December, the lowest months. That is one of Darién National Park's driest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 450 mm in November.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Motmot sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 20
Of the 20 parks where we can rate Rufous Motmot sightings, Darién National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Chagres National Park (Panama, about 30%), Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 30%) and Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
Same family: Momotidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Motmot that you can see in Darién National Park (family Momotidae, Motmots) are Whooping Motmot (about 10%), Tody Motmot (about 10%) and Broad-billed Motmot (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Motmot is recorded against all the birds logged in Darién National Park (60 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.
