Whooping Motmot

Whooping Motmot

Momotus subrufescens

Silhouette: Sofía Terán Sánchez · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Soberanía National Park
3,668 Verified sightings at Soberanía National Park From 2019 to 2026
5,809 Verified sightings across all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

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
~30%
2 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
3 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
4 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
5 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
6 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
7 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
8 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
9 Puracé National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Whooping Motmot in Soberanía National Park?

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Whooping Motmot sighting in Soberanía National Park, based on 3,668 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Whooping Motmot in Soberanía National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Whooping Motmot in Soberanía National Park in our monthly data.

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