Greater Pewee
Contopus pertinax
The greater pewee is 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to 7.9 in) long and weighs about 22 to 36 g (0.78 to 1.3 oz). The sexes have the same plumage with a spiky crest. Subspecies C. p. minor is smaller than the nominate but has essentially the same plumage. Adults have a plain olive-gray head and upperparts, with pale lores and a slightly lighter face than the rest of the head. Their wings are dusky grayish brown with grayish olive ends on the coverts that show as two faint wing bars. They have pale grayish edges on their secondaries. Their tail is dusky grayish brown. Voice: The two subspecies of the greater pewee have different songs. That of the nominate subspecies is "a plaintive Ho-say ma-ree-ah" that gives rise to its Mexican Spanish name "papamoscas José María". There is some variation in the number of ho-say notes. The song of subspecies C. p. minor is "fred-rick fear".
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Smoke-colored Pewee
Contopus fumigatus
The smoke-colored pewee is a grey bird with a slight crest on its head. Their beaks are orange with a black culmen. Mature birds are 16–17 cm in size and 18-20g in weight. This species displays no sexual dimorphism, meaning both sexes share the same plumage. Their feet are anisodactyl, therefore three digits on their foot are forward and one is back. This is the most common foot type in perching birds. Voice: The smoke-colored pewee has a range of calls, with the most common being a loud "pip pip pip". At dawn a "where-di-WIT… whew" can be heard. A clear, repeated "peeew" whistle is also common. Though rare, alternate calls range from a hoarse, repeated "zur" to a whistled "whueer" to short "pjeek pjeek" notes.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Greater Pewee and Smoke-colored Pewee.