The invention relates to a plug seedling taking device driven by a motor, which can accurately control the opening and closing angle and the clamping force and is suitable for end effectors of seedling taking mechanisms of various transplanters. The plug seedling taking device comprises a driving motor, a screw rod, a rack, a front mounting plate, a rear mounting plate, a screw rod nut seat, connecting rods, connection rods, rocking rods and seedling claws. The motor provides driving force, the lead screw drives the lead screw nut seat to move up and down, and then the connecting rods are driven to control opening and closing of the seedling claws to realize opening and closing of the seedling claws; the mechanism is simplified to the maximum extent, the machining and manufacturing difficulty is reduced, the seedling taking efficiency is guaranteed, the hole entering angle and the clamping force are further controlled by accurately controlling the rotating speed of the motor, flexibleclamping of a pot seedling clamping mechanism on a pot seedling matrix is achieved, damage to the pot seedling matrix is reduced, and meanwhile the real-time performance of control is guaranteed. Theproblem that labor wastes time and labor is solved, and high-speed low-loss seedling taking is achieved.