It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.

It is by far the smallest motmot, and named because it resembles the closely related todies (family Todidae) of the Caribbean.

[3] 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.

The tody motmot inhabits humid evergreen forest from sea level to 1,850 m (6,070 ft) elevation.