Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama.
Northern Honduras south, locally, to north-western and central-western Colombia and extreme north-western Ecuador (Esmeraldas); apparently absent from south-western Colombia.
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Yellow-eared Toucanet (Selenidera) [XC45222]
by Ken Allaire from Quebrada Gonzalez, Braulio Carrillo NP, Limon, Costa Rica (song)
Yellow-eared Toucanet (Selenidera spectabilis) [XC107786]
by Andrew Spencer from Cerro Jefe, Panama, Panama (call)
Subspecies
Distinct within genus. Although not very closely related to Guianan Toucanet (Selenidera piperivora), both have sometimes been thought to be part of probable superspecies formed by Tawny-tufted Toucanet (Selenidera nattereri), Red-billed Toucanet (Selenidera reinwardtii), Gould's Toucanet (Selenidera gouldii) and Spot-billed Toucanet (Selenidera maculirostris), but they differ from those four in voice and displays.