Eastern Wood-Pewee    Contopus virens

Conservation Status

General Status in Canada : Secure

COSEWIC Status : Not assessed

While significant declines in Eastern Wood-Pewee populations have been documented in recent decades, the ultimate cause for these declines remains poorly understood. Some evidence suggests that their density may be negatively correlated with the density of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), because browsing disturbance to vegetation in the mid-canopy may reduce habitat quality. The species does not show an abundance response to forest fragmentation and harvesting, though the effects of these anthropogenic disturbances on habitat quality have not been well studied. Throughout most of the breeding range, natural forms of disturbance, such as fire, have been virtually eliminated. In areas where fire is used as a positive management tool for species such as the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis), the Eastern Wood-Pewee has shown a positive abundance response, suggesting that this species’ relationship with recently burned forest requires further study.

Reference(s)

McCarty, J. P. 1996. Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens), The Birds of North America, No. 245. A. Poole and F. Gill, eds. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists's Union, Washington, D.C.