It occurs in humid lowland and montane forest up to 760 m, but there are three records at 1,220-1,555 m in Honduras (Miller and Miller 1996). In Costa Rica, it is restricted to foothill and adjacent lowland primary and secondary forests (F. G. Stiles in litt. 1999, J. E. Sanchez et al. in litt. 2007, L. Sandoval in litt. 2016). In Belize, it has been recorded most densely in an area of steep terrain intersected by many seasonal streams (Miller and Miller 1996). Nests in Costa Rica have been found in road and trail banks (J. E. Sanchez et al. in litt. 2007). This species may hybridise with E. platyrhynchum (L. Sandoval in litt. 2016, Cerqueira et al. 2020).

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, Honduras, Nicaragua, and north-central Costa Rica (Miller and Miller 1996, AOU 1998, M. Bonta in litt. 1999). Records of two individuals from La Tirimbina, Costa Rica, in February 2004 may be the southernmost for this species (R. Garrigues in litt. 2007). 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 (Miller and Miller 1996, Eisermann 2005, J. E. Sanchez et al. in litt. 2007). In Belize, records are concentrated in the southern Greater Maya Mountain region of the country (B.W. and C. M. Miller in litt. 2007), and most populations are small and many are significantly isolated (Miller and Miller 1996). In Costa Rica, there have been several recent records, mostly in Volcán Arenal area, from private reserves and the national park (J. E. Sanchez et al. in litt. 2007, R. Garrigues in litt. 2007). It appears to have declined in range in Mexico and parts of Guatemala, and there are very few recent records in Mexico (Gómez de Silva 2002, H. Gómez de Silva in litt. 2007). Mixed pairs of E. carinatum and Broad-billed Motmot Electron platyrhynchum have been documented in Costa Rica (J. E. Sanchez et al. in litt. 2007, R. Garrigues in litt. 2007) with records at three different sites in the Arenal area (R. Garrigues in litt. 2007).

Conservation Actions Underway
There are several protected areas where it has previously been recorded, but there are very few with recent sightings and information on remaining habitat is often lacking. The exceptions are Belize (Miller and Miller 1996) and Guatemala (K. Eisermann in litt. 2007), where the majority of populations are within reserves. However, protected areas in Guatemala face threats owing to management deficiencies (K. Eisermann in litt. 2007). It is on the watch list as part of the State of North America's Birds (North American Bird Conservation Initiative 2016).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Identify and survey remaining forest to assess the species's status. Survey all historical sites and those with recent reports, such as in Guatemala and Honduras, the Honduras-Nicaragua border area, the extensive Atlantic forest areas of Nicaragua and the region around Lake Arenal, Monteverde and Rincón de la Vieja, Costa Rica (Miller and Miller 1996). Gather all ad-hoc sightings of the species and encourage the submission of records. Use survey data and sightings to estimate the total population size. Monitor rates of habitat loss and degradation at known and potential localities. Improve management of protected areas in Guatemala.