Electron carinatum has been recorded at a relatively small number of localities scattered over an extensive range in Central America, generally on the Caribbean slope of south Mexico, south Belize, Guatemala, north and central Honduras, north-central Nicaragua, and north-central Costa Rica^1,2,4. Records of two individuals from La Tirimbina, Costa Rica, in February 2004 may be the southernmost for this species¹⁰. Most records have been of pairs or single birds, and it has been recorded only once at most localities. The exceptions to this are recent observations in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica but, even at these sites, it occurs at a very low density and is generally considered rare to uncommon^4,6,7. In Belize, records are concentrated in the southern Greater Maya Mountain region of the country⁸, and most populations are small and many are significantly isolated⁴. In Costa Rica, there have been several recent records, mostly in Volcán Arenal area, from private reserves and the national park^7,10. It appears to have declined in range in Mexico and parts of Guatemala, and there are very few recent records in Mexico^3,9. Mixed pairs of E. carinatum and Broad-billed Motmot Electron platyrhynchum have been documented in Costa Rica^7,10 with records at three different sites in the Arenal area¹⁰.