Baryphthengus ruficapillus
Silhouette: Sofía Terán Sánchez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-capped Motmot sighting in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 232nd most-seen of the 294 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-capped Motmot in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October–May, the lowest months. Those are among Serra da Canastra National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 280 mm in January.
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.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Rufous-capped Motmot sightings, Serra da Canastra National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 30%), Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 20%) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil, about 20%).
Same order: Coraciiformes
The closest relatives of the Rufous-capped Motmot that you can see in Serra da Canastra National Park (order Coraciiformes, Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies) are Amazon Kingfisher (about 10%), Green Kingfisher (about 10%) and Ringed 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 Serra da Canastra National Park (13 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.
