Momotus subrufescens, known as the Whooping Motmot, is a mid‑sized bird in the motmot family, measuring approximately 18.5 in. from bill to tail racquet tips and weighing between 2.6 and 4.4 oz. It inhabits lowland evergreen and deciduous forests, forest edges, and secondary growth from eastern Panama through Colombia and Venezuela, extending in disjunct populations into western Ecuador and northwestern Peru, typically at elevations below 1,300 meters. The overall population is estimated between 50,000 and 500,000 mature individuals, leading to its IUCN classification as Least Concern.

This species exhibits a distinctive “whooping” call, often heard at dawn and dusk, and displays a wagging tail behavior that may serve in territorial signaling. It forages by perching low and darting to catch insects, sometimes using stones to break tougher prey—an unusual tool‑using trait. Its diet includes insects, spiders, small vertebrates, and fruit. The bird’s plumage includes olive‑green upperparts, rufous‑tinged underparts, a blue crown surrounding a black center, a turquoise-bordered black eyemask, and a long racket‑tipped tail. Average adult weight ranges from 2.6–4.4 oz.

Breeding involves nesting in burrows dug into earth banks, following the general motmot pattern. The species is non‑migratory and remains within its breeding range year‑round. Subspecies structure includes four taxa—subrufescens, spatha, osgoodi, and argenticinctus—distributed across its range, though taxonomy has shifted following detailed plumage and vocal analyses.