Golden-crowned Spadebill

How to find it

Look in the forest understory, where it perches still, usually 1 to 5 m above the ground. Listen first, since the faint trill is often the only clue. At Carara, one group heard a bird well before reaching it, then found it on an exposed perch. When it left, it came back to a different perch, so be ready to search again before getting scope views. Another group found one while watching Baird's Trogons, without playback. Watch for the short upward sallies to the underside of leaves and twigs.

How to recognise it

This is a very small bird, about 9 cm long.

Olive-brown above, dull yellow below.

The crown is rufous with a yellow center stripe that can be hard to see, so do not count on the gold showing.

The face is white with a white eyering and two black stripes.

The bill is very broad and flat, typical of spadebills, black above and pale below.

In Costa Rica the rufous crown and olive back set it apart from the other spadebills, and a birder at Carara used exactly those marks, with the black-striped white face, to tell it from its relatives.

What it sounds like

Recording: Alessandro Franchini, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

The spadebill perches still, usually 1 to 5 m above the ground. It catches prey with short upward sallies, picking insects from the underside of leaves and twigs. It feeds on arthropods.

Because it sits so quietly and sings so softly, it is easy to pass by. In Costa Rica its breeding season runs from April to June.

Where it lives

Across its range it lives in the tropical and lower subtropical zones, in lowlands and foothills. It favours the understory of humid primary forest and mature secondary forest.

In Central America it ranges from sea level to 1,250 m, while on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica it only reaches about 600 m. A song recording was made in Costa Rica at 650 m, near the TCU Research Station. The Costa Rican form is found on both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes.

When to see it

Its breeding season in Costa Rica runs from April to June.

Similar birds

It looks much like the White-throated Spadebill. That species tends to live in more mountain habitats and has a very striking white throat. In Costa Rica the rufous crown and olive back set the Golden-crowned apart from the other spadebills.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rica's Spanish name is piquichato coronirrufo. Other countries use different names for it, such as piquichato coronado in Nicaragua and picochato coronidorado in Panama and Ecuador.

Status and conservation

The official Costa Rican bird list gives it resident status (R), it is considered fairly common here, and the IUCN rates it Least Concern.

Photography tips

Let your ears lead you. At Carara one group had good views of one while watching Baird's Trogons, and found it without playback. Another heard a bird first, found it on an exposed perch, then had to search again when it moved to a different one.