hear and heard

Could you tell me what the difference is between the two below?

Hey, I hear she's single again.

Hey, I heard she's single again.



Do they mean exactly the same thing?

Yes.

Present tense indicates habitual action. So "hear" indicates that one has heard it more than once.

Not necessarily.

People say "hear" when they only heard it once, but they're still implying habitual action. Often the present tense is used when people wish to forestall the question "From whom"?

Interesting

'Hear' is the present, 'heard' is the past - but in this case, they both give the same meaning.