Eastern Wood-Pewee

Eastern Wood-Pewee, first year

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

One of the hallmark species of the Eastern deciduous forest, the Eastern Wood-Pewee is an inconspicuous dull brown bird of the middle canopy. Despite its abundance, this bird could be easily overlooked if not for its persistent "pee-ah-wee" song.

Description

• Medium-sized flycatcher.
• Grayish olive above.
• Pale below, with darker wash on breast and sides.
• Whitish wingbars.
• No eyering or only a faint one.

• Size: 15 cm (6 in)
• Wingspan: 23-26 cm (9-10 in)
• Weight: 10-19 g (0.35-0.67 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes alike in plumage, male slightly larger.

Sound

Song is a slurred whistled "pee-ah-wee," rising on last note. Also a downslurred "wee-ur."

Conservation Status

Populations declining throughout range, but not listed as of special concern anywhere.

Other Names

Pioui de l'Est (French)

Cool Facts

• In a forest where several flycatcher species are found, the Eastern Wood-Pewee forages higher in the trees than the Least and Acadian flycatchers, but lower down than the Great Crested Flycatcher.

• One potential cause of the decline of Eastern Wood-Pewee populations is the overpopulation of white-tailed deer in the Eastern forests. In areas with high deer density, the intermediate canopy is disturbed by browsing, affecting the foraging space of the flycatcher.

• The Eastern and Western wood-pewees are very difficult to tell apart visually. Their breeding ranges overlap only in a very narrow zone in the Great Plains. Despite their similarity, no evidence has ever been found that the two species interbreed in that area.

Sources used to construct this page:

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