Greater Pewee
Contopus pertinax
The Greater Pewee (Contopus pertinax) is a uncommon tyrant flycatcher found in 7 countries, weighing about 27 g. The greater pewee, formerly known as Coues's flycatcher, is a passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.
About the Greater Pewee
The greater pewee, formerly known as Coues's flycatcher, is a passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found from Arizona and New Mexico to Nicaragua.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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".
Where it lives
When to see it
The Greater Pewee can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Greater Pewee?
- 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). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Greater Pewee?
- The Greater Pewee is a small sized bird weighing about 27 g.
- Where can you see a Greater Pewee?
- The Greater Pewee occurs in 7 countries, including Mexico, the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
- What birds look similar to a Greater Pewee?
- The Greater Pewee is most easily confused with the Southern Tropical Pewee, the Smoke-colored Pewee and the Cuban Pewee.
- Is the Greater Pewee endangered?
- The Greater Pewee is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Greater Pewee for real
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