Western Wood-Pewee
Contopus sordidulus

Migratory Status: Neotropical migrant

PIF Population Estimate: 7 800 000

Percent of western hemisphere population breeding in boreal forest: <25%

BAM Effective Detection Radius (m) : 93.58

PIF Maximum Detection Distance (m) : 200

Canadian BBS Population trend: -0.9 n.s. (-2.2 to 0.4)

Life History

The Western Wood-Pewee is commonly found in a variety of open forests and riparian areas in western North America. It breeds from Manitoba west to Alaska, and southward throughout coastal and central regions of the United States, Mexico and Central America. The only way to distinguish this species from the Eastern Wood-Pewee (C. virens) is by the song, a harsh and buzzy “Pee-er”. Because of this, the wintering range is poorly known but is thought to extend from Panama into north-western South America.

This medium-sized flycatcher is dark olive-gray above, paler below with a gray wash on its breast and sides, white wingbars, and a slight crest on its head. Males and females are similar in appearance.

This species forages exclusively on flying insects. It never feeds on the ground or in leaf litter. Perching in the open, it typically sallies out to capture prey in the air and returns to the same perch.

Reference(s)

Bemis, C., and J. D. Rising. 1999. Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus), The Birds of North America Online, . A. Poole, Ed. Ithaca: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology; Retrieved from The Birds of North America Online database: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/451