Black-capped Flycatcher

How to find it

Look for it on exposed perches. It often sits in the open at clearings and edges, where it is easy to watch, and it is easy to see in the Dota region. Check low trees beside the road, since it often perches there and allows close approach. Villa Mills, just over 3,000 m on the road toward San Gerardo de Dota, has a gravel loop of about 1 km where a birder's report lists it among the highland species to look for. Start early in the morning and let the whistled 'kip' lead you to it.

How to recognise it

Look first at the head.

- Crown: blackish.

- Eye-ring: broad and white, wider behind the eye. This combination sets it apart from other Empidonax flycatchers.

- Wings and tail: blackish, with two pale wing bars on the wings.

- Upperparts: olive-brown.

- Throat: pale. Belly: buffy yellow.

- Lower bill: orangey.

At about 11.5 cm it is a very small bird. No other Empidonax in Costa Rica has a black cap, so the dark head is the mark to trust.

What it sounds like

Recording: Dan MacNeal, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

This is a tame, active bird, usually alone outside the breeding season. It hunts by sitting and waiting on an exposed perch, then darting out in a short flight for prey.

In Costa Rica it feeds mainly on flies, small beetles and moths. A Costa Rican photographer calls it quite trusting, and it can be seen in fairly low trees, often near the road.

Breeding is given as March to May. The nest is an open cup of grass and moss placed in a tree or shrub, or hanging from grass over an earth bank.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica it lives mostly from about 2,450 m up to 3,300 m or higher, and sometimes drops to around 2,100 m, for example at Sabana Dúrika. Across its whole range it has been recorded between 1,850 and 3,300 m, with some evidence of seasonal movements up and down the mountains.

It uses high oak forest canopy, forest edges, clearings, second growth, scattered-tree pastures and páramo edges. It is a common resident in the highest parts of the Cordillera Central, the Cordillera de Talamanca and the Dota region.

When to see it

One site says it is present all year but is most vocal and active from April to June, in breeding season, and that early morning is the best time to look. At the height of the rainy season it can move down the mountains to about 1,850 m, so it may appear at lower sites then.

Similar birds

The black crown and the oval eye-ring separate it from other small flycatchers such as Yellowish Flycatcher and Tufted Flycatcher, though all three can share the same habitat. Its blackish head and generally dark look also make it easy to tell from the migratory Empidonax flycatchers. Mountain Elaenia is also common in semi-open highland areas, so check for its small bill and white edges on the tertials.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica and Panama the bird is called Mosquerito Cabecinegro. Other Spanish names are Mosquero Cabecinegro and Mosqueta de Capa Negra. The genus name Empidonax comes from Greek words meaning gnat and lord, and atriceps is Latin for black head.

Status and conservation

The AOCR list marks it as a resident endemic (R-END), the IUCN rates it Least Concern with a population believed to be stable, and it is considered common in Costa Rica.

Photography tips

A tour site recommends a 400 to 600 mm lens, and warm, waterproof clothing for the cold, wet highlands. A Costa Rican photographer says the bird is quite trusting and can be seen in fairly low trees, often near the road, so roadside edges and clearings are good places to try.