Morelet's Seedeater

How to find it

Start with weedy edges: roadsides, farm fields and marshes with tall grass. Males sit in the open and sing, so listen for a clear whistle and then scan the exposed perches. Females are secretive, so put your effort into the males and watch for females only when they feed or fly to roost. Flocks feed low and call softly, so a patient scan of the weedy ground can pay off. When a bird shows, check for the white wingbars.

How to recognise it

This is a small seedeater with a short, thick, rounded bill. In every plumage it shows two broad white wingbars, and that is the mark to hold on to.

Males have a black cap and face, a white throat, a white crescent under the eye, and black wings and tail. The white collar is usually broken by a dark line at the back of the neck. In Costa Rica males also have a black chest and thighs, a buffy brown to buffy white rump, and buffy white underparts. The bill and legs are black.

Females and young birds are brownish. Young birds look like adult females but are sometimes darker and duller underneath.

What it sounds like

Recording: cuihenggang, CC0 1.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

Males sit in the open and sing, so they are easy to notice. Females are secretive and are usually seen only when feeding or flying to roosts. Males are often heard singing from March to October across the species' range.

It eats mostly seeds and insects, with the occasional berry, and prefers to feed on herbaceous plants. Flocks feed low in weedy, overgrown spots and call to each other in soft voices.

Where it lives

Across its range Morelet's Seedeater lives in open and mixed habitats with tall grasses, such as farm fields, roadsides and marshes. In Costa Rica it is resident across nearly all of the country, from sea level to about 1500 m, and occasionally higher.

Photo records come from the northern lowlands, the Arenal and La Fortuna area, the Pacific side and the Caribbean lowlands. A Spanish-language source calls it uncommon and local in most of the Central Valley.

When to see it

Photo records show it in Costa Rica in January, February, March, May, June, August and December, so it appears to be present all year.

Similar birds

Broad wingbars separate this seedeater from the other seedeaters of Costa Rica in all plumages. Variable Seedeaters live in the same grassy places and mix readily with it. The female Variable Seedeater is plain brownish olive, without the wingbars of the female Morelet's. Male Caribbean Variable Seedeaters are all black, and only the Pacific Variable race has a white collar. Female and young Morelet's look much like other seedeaters, while adult males are easy to tell apart.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The official Costa Rican name is Espiguero Collarejo, and the bird is also widely called Setillero Collarejo. Older sources list it as Setillero or espiguero collarejo under the former name White-collared Seedeater. The nickname 'Monjito' belongs to the Variable Seedeater, not this bird. The scientific name has two l's because Bonaparte, who described it, misspelled the collector Morelet's name, and the error stuck.

Status and conservation

The official Costa Rican bird list gives it resident status, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Photography tips

Males perch in the open to sing, which makes them the best subjects. Find a singing male on a roadside or field edge and let him settle. Females are secretive, so expect them only when they feed or fly to roost.