Scientific Name: Baryphthengus martii

Large forest-dweller that likes to sit motionless. Head and breast rich rufous-orange with a bold black mask and central black breast spot. Green back and long tail. Most similar to the smaller Broad-billed Motmot; note its larger size, rufous chin, and more extensive rufous coloring on the belly. Often found singly or in pairs inside forest, usually below the canopy. Listen for its deep hooting call, “woo-doop,” sometimes given as a single note or as a series resembling soft, echoing laughter.

The Rufous Motmot prefers mature rainforest and shaded woodland where it perches quietly on low branches, watching for insects, small lizards, and fruit. Its long tail, often ending in a distinctive racket-shaped tip, may sway gently while it waits for prey. Despite its bright coloration, it blends surprisingly well into the dim forest light. Patient observers in Costa Rica’s lowland forests may spot it at dawn or late afternoon, when its haunting hoots carry clearly through the trees.