Baryphthengus ruficapillus
Silhouette: Sofía Terán Sánchez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~80%
The rufous-capped motmot (Baryphthengus ruficapillus) is a species of bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The rufous-capped motmot and rufous motmot (Baryphtengus martii) are the only two species in their genus, and have sometimes been treated as conspecific. The rufous-capped motmot is monotypic. Though subspecies have been proposed within its Brazilian population, the differences have been shown to be simply individual variation.
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.
The rufous-capped motmot is found across southeastern Brazil, in eastern Paraguay, and in far northeastern Argentina. It inhabits primary and gallery forest, the latter mostly along watercourses. It ranges in elevation from near sea level to 1,200 m (3,900 ft). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-capped Motmot sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 1,233 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 56th most-seen of the 343 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-capped Motmot in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February and March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-capped 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.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Rufous-capped Motmot sightings, Iguazú National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 30%).
Same order: Coraciiformes
The closest relatives of the Rufous-capped Motmot that you can see in Iguazú National Park (order Coraciiformes, Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies) are Ringed Kingfisher (about 10%) and Amazon Kingfisher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-capped Motmot is recorded against all the birds logged in Iguazú National Park (1,233 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.
