Breeding

Most information is from Skutch (1964). The nest is at the end of a burrow or tunnel in the ground or in the side of a small bank; tunnels are up to 2 m long. The eggs are laid in a small cavity at the end of the tunnel; the nest does not contain any lining. The clutch is three eggs, white and unmarked. Both sexes incubate. The incubation period lasts about three weeks. The nestling period typically is 29-32 days (although 38 days at one nest).

In Costa Rica, nests are excavated August-October, during the wet season, but egg-laying is in March or April (Skutch 1964).

In Costa Rica, Blue-crowned Motmots are single-brooded (Skutch 1964).