Whooping Motmot
Momotus subrufescens
Silhouette: Sofía Terán Sánchez · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCoraciiformes (Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies)
- FamilyMomotidae (Motmots)
- GenusMomotus (Blue-crowned and Russet-crowned Motmots)
- SpeciesMomotus subrufescens (Whooping Motmot)
About the Whooping Motmot
The whooping motmot (Momotus subrufescens) is a colorful near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. The whooping motmot and the blue-capped (Momotus coeruleiceps), Trinidad (M. bahamensis), Amazonian (M. momota), Lesson's (M. lessonii), and Andean motmots (M. aequatorialis) were at one time all considered conspecific. They were split following a 2009 publication which detailed their differences. The whooping motmot has four recognized subspecies, the nominate Momotus subrufescens subrufescens, M. s. spatha, M. s. osgoodi, and M. s. agenticinctus.
The whooping motmot's back and wings are olive-green and the underparts dull brown. It has a long, green to blue, tail that has extended feathers with racquet tips that are blue tipped with black. Its crown is black surrounded by a blue band, and it has a black eyemask bordered with turquoise. Twenty-seven specimens of the nominate whooping motmot weighed 75 to 124 g (2.6 to 4.4 oz).
The whooping motmot has two disjunct populations. The nominate subspecies is found from eastern Panama to northern and... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Darién National Park
Rufous Motmot
Baryphthengus martii
Tody Motmot
Hylomanes momotula
Broad-billed Motmot
Electron platyrhynchum
Ringed Kingfisher
Megaceryle torquata
Amazon Kingfisher
Chloroceryle amazona
Green-and-rufous Kingfisher
Chloroceryle inda
American Pygmy Kingfisher
Chloroceryle aenea
Green Kingfisher
Chloroceryle americana
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | San Lorenzo Protected Forest | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 9 | Puracé National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Whooping Motmot in Darién National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Whooping Motmot sighting in Darién National Park, based on 1,243 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Whooping Motmot in Darién National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Whooping Motmot in Darién National Park in our monthly data.