Rufous Motmot – Mistico Park, CR

Sometimes the best birds are the ones that sit still long enough to give us a proper look. This Rufous Motmot at Mistico Park in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, was one of those birds. Its rich cinnamon plumage, black facial mask, green wings, and long racket-tipped tail made identification easy. Rufous Motmots prefer the shaded understory of humid tropical forests, where they often sit motionless while watching for insects, lizards, and other small prey. Despite their bright colours and large size, they can be surprisingly difficult to spot among the dense vegetation. We watched this bird perched quietly, giving us plenty of time to appreciate its unusual tail. Motmots often swing their tails from side to side like a pendulum, particularly when they detect a potential predator. Interestingly, the racket-shaped tips develop naturally when loosely attached feather barbs wear away, leaving sections of the central shafts exposed.