Black-eared Warbler

Overview

The black-eared warbler, also known as the Costa Rican warbler, is a species of New World warbler found in Costa Rica and Panama. It is a small, year-round resident bird that inhabits montane evergreen forests in both countries.

Identification

• 13 cm long with buff-orange crown stripe and long, wide black stripe below it.
• Blackish lores and ear coverts with pale yellow bottom and rear edges.
• Olive-gray upperparts, wings, and tail; pale olive-buff underparts.
• Song described as a mixture of agitated trills, twitters, warbles, and buzzy notes, with calls including 'tip, tsip, or sharp pst' notes.

Habitat

Found from the Cordillera de Tilarán in Costa Rica's Alajuela Province south through the Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Talamanca into western Panama as far as Veraguas Province. It inhabits primary and mature secondary montane evergreen forest in the upper tropical and subtropical zones. Elevation ranges between 800 and 2,500 m overall, and 1,000 to 2,200 m in Costa Rica.

Diet

The black-eared warbler's diet has not been studied, but it is thought to be primarily or solely invertebrates. Pairs or small family groups forage actively in the forest's understory, taking most food by gleaning from vegetation. It also takes prey in mid-air with short sallies.

Did you know?

Only one nest of the black-eared warbler has ever been found. It was a globe with a side entrance placed on the ground, constructed from grasses, moss, and fern leaves, and held three nestlings.