Jamaican Pewee
Contopus pallidus
A small, plain woodland species often found flycatching from exposed perches at middle levels in the forest; often flicks tail once upon landing. Note that this species has relatively inconspicuous wingbars and no eyering. The similar Eastern Wood-Pewee has distinctly longer primaries (assessed by looking at how far the primaries extend beyond tertials), whitish wingbars, and rarely flicks its tail upon landing. The Greater Antillean Elaenia has bold white wingbars and an entirely dark bill unlike the Jamaican Pewee. Vocalizations include plaintive “wee-wee,” with the second note louder and both notes upslurred, a similarly plaintive ‘uh-weee-oo” with the middle portion upslurred, and a slightly rough, whistled “weeah.”
Identification
The Jamaican Pewee measures 15 cm (5.9in) from bill to tail and weighs 9-9.5g. It has proportionately short wings and long tail with a round body and large head. They also say that the bill is relatively large with the bottom of the bill being orange. The top of the Jamaican pewee is dark-olive toned, while the wings and tail become darker and the stomach is paler. While the male and female birds look similar, the younger birds are grayer on the top and paler on the stomach and beak than the adult birds. The lifespan of the Jamaican pewee is 3.5 years on average.
Taxonomy
Contopus pallidus was first described by Philip Henry Gosse in 1847. It belongs to the family Tyrannidae. This species used to be seen as conspecific with the Cuban pewee and the Hispaniola pewee, meaning that all three birds were once classified as the same species.<p>The Jamaican Pewee is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Contopus pallidus
- Authority
- (Gosse, 1847)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Contopus
Range and habitat
The Jamaican pewee is only found in Jamaica. It can be found on forest edges in mid-elevation across the country, and it can rarely be found in high elevations. There is no distinction for how low Jamaican pewees will fly, but they have been seen to go as high as 2,000 meters. The Jamaican pewee has been seen to fly to lower elevations during the non-breeding season.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Jamaican pewee perches upright on obvious perches specifically when looking for its prey. It will dive down to grab its prey from the air, returning to the same or new perch, while flicking its tail on the landing.<p>The Jamaican pewee call has a “wee-wee” sound with the second “wee” being louder than the first. Another one of their calls is an “uh-weee-oo” sound where the middle section is more whistled sounding like a “weeah” sound.
Conservation
Jamaican pewees are considered a species of least concern for extinction. The Jamaican pewee population is declining. The population of the bird is suspected to be decreasing because of the ongoing habitat destruction in Jamaica. The extent of the population decrease is unknown.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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