Greater Pewee

Contopus pertinaxOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Codes: Common Name: GRPE Scientific Name: CONPER ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178356

Breeding Location:

Forests, coniferous, Mountains

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common, Stable

Egg Color:

White with brown and gray markings at large end

Number of Eggs:

3 - 4

Incubation Days:

12 - 13

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with fine grass, weeds, leaves, lichen and other vegetation.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Greater Pewee: Large, plump flycatcher with olive-gray upperparts, white throat, gray breast, and pale yellow belly. Crest is slender. Bill is broad, flat, and two-toned: upper mandible is dark while lower is orange. Wings and tail are dark. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Greater Pewee: Breeds from central Arizona and southwestern New Mexico southward. Spends winters mainly south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Preferred habitats include highland coniferous forests, especially pine and pine-oak.

Breeding and Nesting

Greater Pewee: Three or four white eggs, marked with brown and gray at large end, are laid in a compact, woven, grass-lined cup nest set high on a horizontal limb, secured with cobwebs and camouflaged on the outside. Incubation ranges from 12 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Greater Pewee: Eats mostly flying insects, but also berries in winter. Sits erect, often on a treetop perch, turning its head from side to side watching for prey, which it catches in mid-air or on the ground.

Readily Eats

Meal Worms

Vocalization

Greater Pewee: Sings a functional song, used in territorial defense and mate attraction, a plaintive "ho-say ma-ree-ah."

Similar Species

Greater Pewee: Olive-sided Flycatcher has darker sides, darker bill, and white patches above the wings (not always visible). Western Wood-Pewee is smaller with a darker bill.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Greater Pewee

Greater Pewee: Large, plump flycatcher, olive-gray upperparts, white throat, gray breast, pale yellow belly. Slender crest. Broad, flat bill is two-toned: upper mandible is dark, lower is orange. Wings and tail are dark. Short flights on rapid shallow wing beats. Sallies out to take insects in air.

● Song: "ho-sa, ma-re-ah"

● Foraging & Feeding: Greater Pewee: Eats mostly flying insects, but also berries in winter. Sits erect, often on a treetop perch, turning its head from side to side watching for prey, which it catches in mid-air or on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Greater Pewee: Three or four white eggs, marked with brown and gray at large end, are laid in a compact, woven, grass-lined cup nest set high on a horizontal limb, secured with cobwebs and camouflaged on the outside. Incubation ranges from 12 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Greater Pewee: Olive-sided Flycatcher has darker sides, darker bill, and white patches above the wings (not always visible). Western Wood-Pewee is smaller with a darker bill.

Flight Pattern

Short flights with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Greater Pewee: Breeds from central Arizona and southwestern New Mexico southward. Spends winters mainly south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Preferred habitats include highland coniferous forests, especially pine and pine-oak.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationFairly common, Stable

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1 Ounces

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crest

Tufts of feathers on the head of the bird.

Upper mandible

The upper part of the bill.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Greater Pewee

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Readily Eats

Vocalization

Similar Species

Greater Pewee

Flight Pattern