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
- 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
They often wait on a perch at a middle height in a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight (hawking), and will also hover to pluck insects from vegetation (gleaning).
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Philippine Bulbul
Hypsipetes philippinus
A medium-sized bird of lowland and montane forest as well as more open wooded areas. Dark brown above with a pale belly, an orange-brown throat and chest with pale streaking, and a dark head with faint gray streaks. Bill fairly long and black. Similar to Streak-breasted Bulbul, but smaller, with a shorter bill, a grayish crown, and a warmer orange-brown throat and chest. Song consists of short, loud whistled phrases with a slightly metallic quality. Also gives downslurred squeals and chattering.
Grenada Flycatcher
Myiarchus nugator
A medium-sized “fly-catching” species of open woodlands and scrub including towns, preferring areas near palms; often sits still on perch for long periods of time before leaping forth in pursuit of insects. Grenada Flycatcher has a dull brown back and a yellow belly that contrasts with its gray chest and throat. The Caribbean Elaenia is passingly similar but is smaller with a proportionately small bill, and it has bold wingbars and dull, low-contrast underparts. Vocalizations include an emphatic low “whip” given in a slow series and sometimes followed by a rolling “pit-it-oooo.” Also, this species gives a shrill “whee,” singly or in series.
Yellow-throated Miner
Manorina flavigula
A medium-sized gray honeyeater with a pale gray crown, a yellow bill, a yellow eye patch, and a dark cheek patch. Yellow on sides of throat can be hard to see. In flight, note the pale rump. Aggressive and territorial; lives in colonies and vigorously defends territory against pretty much anything that moves. Common in inland areas including towns and parks. Take note of the gray crown as the similar looking Noisy Miner has a black crown. Distributed across almost all of inland Australia, overlapping with Noisy Miner in eastern Australia.
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