Western Wood-Pewee

Found breeding throughout the western half of much of the United States, the Western Wood-Pewee is a Flycatcher that is known for its “sit-and-wait” tactics during hunting. They use exposed branches as a perch to observe from and may return multiple times to the same perch in order to track their prey further before striking at them with marvelous precision. The western half of North America comes alive during the summers. Very little is known about these birds and their wintering habits as they travel long distances back to South America.

About Western Wood-Pewees

These birds are nearly identical in appearance to the closely related Eastern Wood-Pewees. Their plumages as other physical aspects of their appearance do not differ. However, their calls and their range are radically different from each other. There is a small region in the Great Plains area where their breeding ranges overlap. The two species do not interbreed due to the fact that their calls are so different.

Today we want to be talking more about these experienced hunters in detail. Everything from their lifestyles to their anatomy will be discussed in detail so that you can have a perfect understanding of how to potentially find and identify these birds. We will be covering:

● Western Wood-Pewee Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Western Wood-Pewee Size, Eating Behavior, Habitat
● Western Wood-Pewee Range and Migration, Nesting

GET KIDS BIRD WATCHING

Western Wood-Pewee Color Pattern

Adults of both sexes are similar to each other in appearance among this species. Adults have uniformly grayish brown upperparts and indistinct pale wing-bars on the tertiary edges of their wings. In comparison, their underparts are far more dull and whitish, before becoming deeper and almost dusky on their breast and flanks. Their bills are bicolored, with the upper mandible dark and the lower mandible paler with a dark tip; some birds have all dark bills as well.

Juveniles bear striking resemblance to adults but have their upper parts washed with brownish to cinnamon. They have wingbars that are much darker in the shades of buff and cinnamon. Their upper parts have also been observed to be significantly darker than those of adults.

Description and Identification

Western Wood-Pewees are similar to other Flycatchers in appearance. They can be distinguished from them on the basis of their size, pattern of plumage, and nasal song. They are most similar to Eastern Wood-Pewees in appearance and generally can’t be differentiated from them on the basis of plumage alone. Some have noted that Eastern Wood-Pewees seem to be more greenish overall. The best way to differentiate between the two is through their calls, a clear and plain ring for the Eastern species and a nasal and burry tone for the Western half. Their calls rarely ever overlap and it is generally safe to distinguish between them on the basis of their call notes.

During the summer months, hearing their call in any forest patch along the western half of North America is fairly easy. Keep your eye out for their slightly descending call and then trace it back to the source. The call might be coming from the canopy, where these birds are most likely perched in bare branches while singing. Their gray bodies tend to blend into the branches of their surroundings, so wait for one to begin chasing an insect in order to get a better view.

Western Wood-Pewee Song

The vocalization of these birds is not very well studied, but multiple calls have been observed within a wide variety of contexts. Males give out a song during the dawn, roughly rendered as “peee-pip-pip”, with the first note being long and the following two notes being rapidly thrown in succession. This song along with their signature, nasal “pee-er” is generally considered to be their full song repertoire. This is most frequently heard at the periods just before sunrise but may rarely be heard at other times of the day too.

Their “pee-er” song is given in its entirety throughout the day, consisting of a single note that is harsh in quality and continually descends in pitch as it is let out. This is most commonly heard during the breeding seasons when it is given out by the males, most likely to advertise their territories and to communicate with their mates. This song has also been heard upon the immediate arrival of the birds at their breeding grounds.

One of their rather unique calls is the Twitter Call, a sequence of sounds that include a rapid twitter, a varied number of clear notes, and a soft wavering whistle. It is used during nest defence and nest-site selection as the pair moves from one forked branch to another in unison. They also have the common Bzew Call, a burry, swelling note that is similar to the “pee-er” song in quality. It can be heard at all times of the night and is generally repeated after very short intervals. It is generally described as an upwardly inflected “beeeeih”. In many cases, the Twitter Call can be alternated with the Bzew Call. Chicks give out a begging call that is a soft series of “tseep” sounds.

Western Wood-Pewee Size

Western Wood-Pewees are medium-sized Flycatchers that are around 5.5-6.3 inches in length. They have a peaked crown that gives their head a triangular appearance, and a long and thin build that weighs about 0.4-0.5 ounces. Their long wings have an approximate wingspan of 10.2 inches and usually serve as a feature that distinguishes them from some other similar-looking Flycatchers.

Western Wood-Pewee Behavior

These Flycatchers spend more of their time moving between the open perches of canopies of trees. As a result, they are almost never on the ground. There have been no observations of them ever walking, but they have been known to rarely hop while flush-hunting. Occasionally while they forage, they may hover with their wings, almost resembling a Hummingbird. Their movements in the air are composed of direct and rapid wingbeats, perfect for pursuing an insect
on wings.

These birds are also vigorously defensive of their nest sites during the breeding season. They have been observed to chase away intruders, or even dive at predators and intruders to attack them and draw them away from the best sites. In many cases, they grasp the intruder by the bill and fly up and backwards in order to pull it off the nest. Their aggressive behavior seems to be at its peak during egg-laying and the early phases of incubation.

During the breeding seasons, they form monogamous pairs with their mates. While there is little to no information on pair beyond during the winter seasons, the pair bonds seem to be seasonally monogamous. Both members of the pair keep alert as they safeguard the eggs, with the female sitting on the nest and the male keeping watch while perched nearby. Both parents are fiercely protective over the chicks even after the eggs hatch, with the female staying at the rim of the nest to give the young shade while still physically protecting them. The pair goes their own ways after the breeding season and generally remains solitary until it is time to return to their breeding grounds.

Western Wood-Pewee Diet

Like other Flycatchers, Western Wood-Pewees mainly eat flying insects like bees, crane flies, mayflies, dragonflies, wasps, beetles, moths, caterpillars, beetles, and flying ants. They wait for insects to fly by while sitting on prominent perches for a long time. If smaller insects fly by, they eat them midair. However, larger insects are pursued and then brought back to the perch before being eaten. If insect populations are scarce, they may even consume a few berries.

Western Wood-Pewee Habitat

Western Wood-Pewees can be found breeding in open woodlands, forest edges, and forests near streams. They are more or less found throughout the entire western half of North America. Ranging from sea level to elevations as high as 10,000 feet. They use forests with larger trees, open under stories, river groves, and standing dead trees. Forests may also include cottonwood, aspen, ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, and spruce. While their habitats are not well studied during migration, it is presumed that they use similar types of forests. During the colder winter months, they can be found in mature tropical forests, scrubby woods, second-growth forests, and clearings from the foothills to higher montane forests.

Range and Migration

Western Wood-Pewees are medium to long-distance migrants that can be found breeding throughout the western half of North America, from Alaska to the base of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. As the months get colder, they migrate towards South America at the end of the summer. Their wintering range is generally from the northmost
area of South America to the eastern coast along the continent.

Western Wood-Pewee Lifecycle

After mating, females lay their only brood of the season. They generally lay 2-4 eggs, with only the female incubating them for 12-13 days. Once the eggs hatch, the chicks emerge at a naked state with small amounts of whitish down. Both parents feed the chicks for 14-18 days, after which they are capable of flight and become independent.

Nesting

Nest sites are selected jointly by both members at a fork in a horizontal branch away from the trunk of a live or dead tree. The main trees that they choose to nest in are cottonwood, aspen, pinyon pine, walnut, sycamore, and other tree species anywhere from near ground level to more than 80 feet above the ground.

The nest construction is carried out entirely by the female. She builds a dense and compact nest out of grasses, plant fibers, bark, and plant down before using materials like a spiderweb to bind the nesting material together. She then camouflages the exteriors of the nest with mosses, bud scales, and insect skins. The interiors are lined with fine grasses and feathers for sufficient insulation for the eggs. The entire construction can take anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks.

Anatomy of a Western Wood-Pewee

These birds are medium-sized grayish Flycatchers that have a peaked crown and two white wing bars. Their long wings complement their long and thin builds, a feature that helps in distinguishing them from other similar-looking Flycatchers. If compared to the sizes of other birds, they are slightly larger than Dusky Flycatchers and smaller than Western Kingbirds.

Final Thoughts

Western Wood-Pewees are as interesting as they are adorable. For such small and inconspicuous birds, they are toughened migrants who can travel thousands of miles to reach their wintering grounds. It is a shame that they are not well studied in their wintering habitats, but their lively presence is unmistakable during the summer months of North
America.

They are fierce and assertive in all of their actions, from pursuing prey to protecting their young during the breeding seasons. They are not frequent visitors to bird feeders but may visit wooded backyards or properties that are close to patches of forests or woodlands. So, if you happen to live close to these areas, keep your eyes out for gray hunters perched silently and patiently at the treetops as they wait for their prey.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Western Wood-Pewees

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Western Wood-Pewees are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Western Wood-Pewee Iron On Patches

Kids, Youth, and Adults love to collect our Bird Watching Academy & Camp iron-on patches. Our bird-watching patches help you keep track of the birds you have seen and identified. You can also display the patches on our Bird Watching Academy & Camp banners.

The Western Wood-Pewee is a great iron-on patch to start your collection with. The patches are durable and can be sewn on or ironed on to just about anything.

Western Wood-Pewee Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Western Wood-Pewee. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders For Western Wood-Pewees

There are many types of bird feeders. Here are our favorite bird feeders for your backyard. We use all of these bird feeders currently. Kids will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. Using this collection of bird feeders will provide a wide variety and many types of birds.

Best Bird Houses For Western Wood-Pewees

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.

Please Share to Help Us Get Kids Bird Watching