  We show that the generating function $\sum_{n\ge0}M_n\,z^n$ for Motzkin
numbers $M_n$, when coefficients are reduced modulo a given power of $2$, can
be expressed as a polynomial in the basic series $\sum _{e\ge0} ^{} {z^{4^e}}/(
{1-z^{2\cdot 4^e}})$ with coefficients being Laurent polynomials in $z$ and
$1-z$. We use this result to determine $M_n$ modulo $8$ in terms of the binary
digits of~$n$, thus improving, respectively complementing earlier results by
Eu, Liu and Yeh [Europ. J. Combin. 29 (2008), 1449-1466] and by Rowland and
Yassawi [J. Th\'eorie Nombres Bordeaux 27 (2015), 245-288]. Analogous results
are also shown to hold for related combinatorial sequences, namely for the
Motzkin prefix numbers, Riordan numbers, central trinomial coefficients, and
for the sequence of hex tree numbers.
