About Hylomanes momotula M.H.K.Lichtenstein, 1839
Hylomanes momotula M.H.K.Lichtenstein, 1839, commonly called the tody motmot, measures 16.5 to 18.0 cm (6.5 to 7.1 in) in total length. Males weigh 27 to 33 g (0.95 to 1.16 oz), while females weigh 25 to 30 g (0.88 to 1.06 oz). It is the smallest motmot by a significant margin, and gets its common name from its resemblance to todies, the closely related birds of the Caribbean family Todidae. The nominate subspecies has a green crown, rufous neck, and green back and rump. It features a blue supercilium, a black mask with a white stripe running below the mask, a white throat, a greenish breast with light streaks, and a white belly. The other two subspecies have similar patterning to the nominate, but are darker overall. The subspecies M. m. obscurus also has less white on the throat than the nominate. The tody motmot’s distribution extends from southern Mexico, through Central America, and into Colombia. The nominate subspecies is the most widespread of the three; it occurs from Veracruz and Oaxaca in Mexico, east and south through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, reaching at least Nicaragua and possibly extending into Costa Rica. M. m. chiapensis is found in Chiapas, Mexico, Guatemala, and possibly El Salvador. M. m. obscurus occurs in Panama and northwestern Colombia. This species lives in humid evergreen forest at elevations ranging from sea level up to 1,850 m (6,070 ft), and it is especially partial to ravines.
