Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee, adult; Kern Co., CA; October

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

A medium-sized, drab flycatcher, the Western Wood-Pewee is a common breeder in open forests and riparian zones across the West.

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: 14-16 cm (6-6 in)
• Wingspan: 26 cm (10 in)
• Weight: 11-14 g (0.39-0.49 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Song a harsh, burry "pee-eer," descending in pitch. Call a burry "bzew."

Conservation Status

Considered common, but experiencing a slow, steady decline throughout most of range. At risk from destruction of tropical forest wintering grounds.

Other Names

Pioui de l?Ouest (French)
Pibí occidental (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• 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.
• Because of the difficulty of separating Eastern from Western wood-pewees, and because some records of ?wintering? pewees might refer to migrants, the exact wintering range of the Western Wood-Pewee is not known precisely.

• The Western Wood-Pewee makes a clapping noise with its bill while chasing and attacking intruders in nest defense.

Sources used to construct this page:

Bemis, C., and J. D. Rising. 1999. Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus). In The Birds of North America, No. 451 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.