Birds Active during the day

Broad-billed Motmot

Electron platyrhynchum

iNaturalist eBird Wikipedia

A master of the tropical mid-story, the Broad-billed Motmot is easily recognized by its vibrant cinnamon plumage and iconic racket-tipped tail. This patient hunter brings a splash of prehistoric elegance to the humid forests of the Americas.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length: 30–35 cm (12–14 in); Weight: 55–70 g (1.9–2.5 oz)

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Colors

Cinnamon-rufous head, neck, and breast; green upperparts and wings; turquoise-blue tail; black mask and chest spot

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Key Features

Distinctively wide, heavy bill with serrated edges
Long tail with two central feathers ending in racket-shaped tips
Vibrant rufous head and chest contrasting with green back
Small black spot in the center of the breast

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active during the day

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Peak hours 6:00 AM - 9:30 AM, 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM

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Season Year-round

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Diet Omnivorous, primarily feeding on large insects like cicadas and beetles, but also consumes spiders, small lizards, frogs, and occasionally tropical fruits.

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Habitat Humid lowland forests, old-growth secondary forests, and shaded forest edges near water or earthen banks.

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Where Does the Broad-billed Motmot Live?

Native to the lush tropical regions of Central and South America, the Broad-billed Motmot enjoys a vast range that spans from eastern Honduras down through the Amazon Basin. Its core populations are found throughout Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, extending south into Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and northern Bolivia, as well as parts of western Brazil. This species is a lowland specialist, rarely straying far from the humid, evergreen corridors of the neotropics.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

9 Countries

5.2M km² Range

Least Concern Conservation

BR Brazil PE Peru CO Colombia EC Ecuador PA Panama CR Costa Rica NI Nicaragua BO Bolivia HN Honduras

Elevation range

0 m1,000 m2,000 m4,000 m

Sea level – 1,550 m

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

The Broad-billed Motmot is a classic 'sit-and-wait' predator, often spending long periods perched motionless on mid-story branches. While it appears sedentary, it is constantly scanning the environment for movement. When prey is spotted, it performs a sudden, acrobatic sally to pluck an insect from a leaf or the ground, often returning to the same perch to beat the prey against a branch before consuming it.

Socially, these birds are typically found alone or in pairs. They are highly territorial during the breeding season, which is when they are most vocal. One of their most fascinating behaviors is the rhythmic wagging of their racket-tipped tails when they detect a predator, a signal that likely tells the intruder they have been spotted and shouldn't bother attacking.

While they are forest specialists, they can become quite habituated to quiet human presence. They are not known for being particularly skittish, provided there is enough vertical cover. They nest in long burrows excavated into earthen banks, sometimes reaching over five feet in length, which they defend with quiet but firm persistence.

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Camera Tips

To capture the Broad-billed Motmot on your backyard or trail camera, focus on the mid-story 'perch zones.' These birds prefer horizontal, open branches roughly 5 to 12 feet off the ground that provide a clear line of sight to the forest floor. Position your camera at eye-level with these branches, ideally 10-15 feet away to capture the full length of their impressive tail rackets without clipping the frame.

Because motmots are 'sit-and-wait' hunters, they can remain perfectly still for many minutes at a time. This can trick some motion-activated cameras into ending a recording too early. Set your camera to take longer video clips (30+ seconds) or use a 'High' sensitivity setting for motion triggers to catch the subtle tail-wagging or head-cocking that happens between strikes.

Lighting is your biggest challenge in the humid forest understory. Use a camera with a high-quality sensor capable of handling low-light conditions, as these birds thrive in the deep shade. If your camera allows for shutter speed adjustment, keep it fast; while the bird sits still, its strike at an insect is lightning-fast and will blur on slower settings. Avoid using a heavy flash, which can wash out the delicate cinnamon and green iridescent feathers.

If you live within their range, you can attract them to a camera site by maintaining a 'wild' area with thick leaf litter. This attracts the large beetles and lizards they crave. Additionally, if you have an earthen bank or a steep slope on your property, place a camera facing it during the spring months, as they may choose these sites for burrowing their nests.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Broad-billed Motmot.

Rufous Motmot

Larger in size with a noticeably green chin and a more slender bill compared to the Broad-billed.

Lesson's Motmot

Features a prominent blue 'diadem' or crown on the head and lacks the solid cinnamon-rufous chest of the Broad-billed.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Broad-billed Motmots are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. They are most vocal and active in the early morning shortly after sunrise and again in the late afternoon before dusk.

The best way to attract them is by preserving natural forest structures. They don't typically visit seed feeders, but they love areas with native trees, high humidity, and plenty of leaf litter that supports large insects and small reptiles.

Their diet is diverse, consisting mostly of large insects like beetles and cicadas. They also eat small vertebrates such as lizards and frogs, and will occasionally supplement their diet with small forest fruits.

They are generally less common in urban centers compared to the Lesson's Motmot. However, if your suburban area is adjacent to a mature forest or a lush river corridor in Central or South America, they may frequent your garden.

The Broad-billed Motmot is smaller and has a much wider, flatter bill. Crucially, the Broad-billed has a cinnamon-colored chin, whereas the Rufous Motmot has a distinct green chin.

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