Bird Guide

Eastern Wood Pewee vs Western Wood Pewee

Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens)

Eastern Wood Pewee

Contopus virens

Tiny14 gForest

The eastern wood pewee is 13.5–15 cm (5.3–5.9 in) in length and weighs around 14 g (0.49 oz). Wingspan ranges 9.1–10.2 in (23–26 cm). The sexes are alike. The adult is gray-olive on the upperparts with light underparts, washed with olive on the breast. Each wing has two pale wing bars, and the primary remiges are long, giving the wingtip a slim and very pointed appearance. The upper part of the bill is dark, the lower part is yellowish. The songs are basically a mournful whistled pee-a'wee given in a series, which gave this bird its name, and a "pe-wee" with a rising note at the end.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: (c) Juan Carlos Caicedo Hernández, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Juan Carlos Caicedo Hernández · cc-by
Western Wood Pewee (Contopus sordidulus)

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Tiny13 gForest

Adults are gray-olive on the upperparts with light underparts, washed with olive on the breast. They have two wing bars and a dark bill with yellow at the base of the lower mandible. This bird is very similar in appearance to the eastern wood pewee; the two birds were formerly considered to be one species. The call of C. sordidulus is a loud buzzy peeer; the song consists of three rapid descending tsees ending with a descending peeer. The bird is about 5.5–6.3 in (14–16 cm) in length, 0.4–0.5 oz (11–14 g) in weight, and has a wingspan of 10.2 in (26 cm).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Yellowstone National Park · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Eastern Wood Pewee and Western Wood Pewee.