Western Wood-Pewee
Contopus sordidulus
Drab grayish-brown flycatcher found in deciduous and mixed forests and edges. Nondescript overall with two pale wingbars; bill is usually mostly dark with only limited orange at the base. Note very long wings and larger size than Empidonax flycatchers. Typically seen on a high perch, occasionally sallying out to snatch an insect. Essentially identical to Eastern Wood-Pewee; averages darker overall with weaker upper wingbar, but reliably distinguished only by voice. Listen for buzzy tones, especially the “BREeerr” song.
Identification
Measurements:
Taxonomy
Genus: Contopus; Family: Tyrannidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Contopus sordidulus
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1859
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Contopus
Range and habitat
Their breeding habitat is open wooded areas in western North America. These birds migrate to South America at the end of summer. The female lays two or three eggs in an open cup nest on a horizontal tree branch or within a tree cavity; California black oak forests are examples of suitable nesting habitat for this species of bird. Both parents feed the young.
- Breeding range
- NA, MA : w
- Non-breeding range
- nw SA
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Moheli Bulbul
Hypsipetes moheliensis
A medium-sized greenish-gray bird with a black cap and a carrot-colored bill, endemic to the middle and high elevations of the mountains of the island of Moheli in the Comoros. Found in humid forest scraps and in adjacent plantations and secondary areas. Often in small, noisy groups. Very similar in appearance to Madagascar Bulbul, and they overlap at moderate elevations, especially in degraded habitats. Moheli Bulbul is separated by the slightly larger size and larger bill, the olive tint to the plumage, especially on the back, and the yellowish tint to the underparts. The song is an unmusical series of rattling and scraping notes, often given from a high perch, similar to Madagascar Bulbul’s, but slightly lower-pitched. The calls include a long, whining note.
Amazonian Elaenia
Myiopagis cinerea
Small flycatcher of rainforest canopy. Gray male is fairly distinctive with his black wings and bold, white wingbars. Female is clad in shades of yellow and olive and has yellowish wingbars. She is very similar to Forest Elaenia and Yellow-crowned Elaenia, but has paler and cleaner underparts, and usually stays higher up in the trees. Also very similar to Gray-headed Elaenia, but note its more northern range. In areas where their ranges meet, identification may have to be confirmed by voice, though Amazonian Elaenia usually shows a dark (not white or yellow) eye. Typical song is a rapid, descending trill. Pairs are typically seen very high in the forest, and often follow mixed species flocks.
Azure-rumped Tanager
Poecilostreptus cabanisi
Small, very local tanager of humid Pacific-slope foothills in Chiapas and Guatemala. Found in evergreen forests and adjacent shade-coffee plantations. Usually in pairs or small groups that forage at all levels, but often in the canopy of taller trees. Sexes look alike: pale bluish overall with contrasting black shoulders and black spotting across the breast. In good light, varied lilac, green, and turquoise sheens are apparent on the upperparts.
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