Breeding

Most data on nesting of Torrent Tyrannulet is from Skutch (1960). The nest is a sturdy cup placed 0.5-4 m above water level, and usually is attached to vegetation directly overhanging the stream. The exterior of the nest is covered in moss while the interior is lined with down feathers. Both sexes contribute to building the nest. Nest-building typically begins in Costa Rica in late March when rivers are relatively low. However, nesting has been recorded from January-June in Costa Rica and in Panama, from March-September in Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986, Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990), and from June-October in Peru (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990).

Eggs are buffy white and unmarked, measuring, on average, 16.5 mm x 12.6 mm (Skutch 1960). Only the female incubates but both sexes attend to the young. Eggs are estimated to hatch after 17-18 days. The young are well feathered by two weeks of age and fledge after around 17 days. Young birds remain with their parents for 5-6 weeks before they disperse to other stretches of stream/river (Skutch 1960).