Greater Pewee
Encyclopedia
The Greater Pewee, Contopus pertinax, is a passerine
bird
. It is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher
.
Adults are dark olive on the face, upperparts and flanks. They have dull gray underparts, a large dark bill and a short tail. Birds often show a narrow, pointed crest.
Greater Pewees are regularly found from southeastern Arizona
and southwestern New Mexico
in the United States
to central Guatemala
in Central America
. They have been recorded as vagrants to southern California
and western and southernmost Texas
. Their preferred breeding habitat are pine-oak woodlands
of mountains and other upper elevations from 750-3500 meters. The female usually lays 2-4 eggs in a shallow open cup nest on a horizontal tree branch. The male defends a large area around the nesting territory. Both parents feed the young birds.
These birds are partial migrants
. They retreat from northernmost breeding territories in the USA and northern Mexico
for the winter.
They wait on a perch at the top of a tree and fly out to catch insect
s in flight.
The song is a whistled ho-say ma-ri-a. The call is a rapid repeated pip pip pip.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. It is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher
Tyrant flycatcher
The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and...
.
Adults are dark olive on the face, upperparts and flanks. They have dull gray underparts, a large dark bill and a short tail. Birds often show a narrow, pointed crest.
Greater Pewees are regularly found from southeastern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and southwestern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to central Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. They have been recorded as vagrants to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and western and southernmost Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Their preferred breeding habitat are pine-oak woodlands
Mesoamerican pine-oak forests
The Mesoamerican pine-oak forests is a composite ecoregion of southern Mexico and Central America, designated by the World Wildlife Fund as one of their Global 200 ecoregions, a list of priority ecoregions for conservation....
of mountains and other upper elevations from 750-3500 meters. The female usually lays 2-4 eggs in a shallow open cup nest on a horizontal tree branch. The male defends a large area around the nesting territory. Both parents feed the young birds.
These birds are partial migrants
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
. They retreat from northernmost breeding territories in the USA and northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
for the winter.
They wait on a perch at the top of a tree and fly out to catch insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s in flight.
The song is a whistled ho-say ma-ri-a. The call is a rapid repeated pip pip pip.