Golden-browed Warbler, Basileuterus belli

Golden-browed Warbler, Basileuterus belli bateli. Photograph taken within the Reserva Chara Pinta, El Palmito, Sinaloa, March 2017. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Background and Identification

The Golden-browed Warbler, Basileuterus belli bateli, is one of five subspecies of Golden-browed Warbler, of which four are found in Mexico. They are a member of the Parulidae Family of New World Warblers, which has one hundred eleven individual species that have been placed into eighteen genera, and one of twelve global members of the Basileuterus Genus. They are known in Mexico as chipe ceja dorada.

The Golden-browed Warbler is small in stature. The sexes are similar in appearance. They have a rufous crown and ear coverts, separated by a broad golden supercilium bordered above by black, black lores, and bright olive-green nape and underparts washed in olive on the side of the breast and flanks. Their bill is black, their iris is dark and their legs are dusky pink.

Habitat and Geographical Range

They are generally found in pairs and forage as individuals or in pairs (and seldom in mixed flocks) on insects and other arthropods. The Golden-browed Warbler has been poorly studies and very limited information about their behavioral patterns and biology has been documented.

The Golden-browed Warbler is found in humid submontane and montane pine-oak forests and cloud forests with dense understory at elevations between 1,200 m (3,940 feet) and 3,500 m (11,500 feet). They are non-migratory and remain on territory throughout the year.

Common Misidentifications

The Golden-browed Warbler is very similar in appearance to the Rufous-capped Warbler, Basileuterus rufifrons (lacks the conspicuous white supercilium).

The Golden-browed Warbler is found in western and southern Mexico with its range extending south into Honduras and El Salvador. The bateli subspecies is found in southeastern Sinaloa and western Durango south to Michoacán and México.

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Golden-browed Warbler is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are common in some areas.