Tody Motmot

The tody motmot is 16.5 to 18.0 cm (6.5 to 7.1 in) long. Males weigh 27 to 33 g (0.95 to 1.16 oz) and females 25 to 30 g (0.88 to 1.06 oz). It is by far the smallest motmot, and named because it resembles the closely related todies (family Todidae) of the Caribbean. The nominate subspecies has a green crown, a rufous neck, and a green back and rump. It has a blue supercilium and a black mask with a white stripe below it. It has a white throat, a greenish breast with light streaks, and a white belly. The other two subspecies are similar but darker, and M. m. obscurus also has less white on the throat.

The tody motmot ranges from southern Mexico through Central America into Colombia. The nominate subspecies is the most widespread; it is found from Veracruz and Oaxaca in Mexico east and south through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador at least to Nicaragua and possibly into Costa Rica. M. m. chiapensis is found in Chiapas, Mexico, Guatemala, and possibly El Salvador. M. m. obscurus is found in Panama and northwestern Colombia. The tody motmot inhabits humid evergreen forest from sea level to 1,850 m (6,070 ft) elevation. It is especially partial to ravines.

The tody motmot's diet includes insects, spiders, and snails. Unlike most other motmots, it has not been recorded to eat fruit. It plucks prey from vegetation while flying and also captures butterflies and dragonflies on the wing.