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Smoke-colored Pewee

Contopus fumigatus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestCup nestSmall · 20 g
Smoke-colored Pewee (Contopus fumigatus), photo 1
Photo: Joao Quental · CC BY 2.0
Smoke-colored Pewee (Contopus fumigatus), photo 2
Photo: http://www.birdphotos.com · CC BY 3.0
Smoke-colored Pewee (Contopus fumigatus), photo 3
Photo: Don Henise · CC BY 2.0
Smoke-colored Pewee (Contopus fumigatus), photo 4
Photo: Don Henise · CC BY 2.0

What the Smoke-colored Pewee sounds like

Sonogram of the Smoke-colored Pewee: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz · Call · Fila De Mariches (near Parroquia La Dolorita), Sucre, Miranda, Venezuela · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Smoke-colored Pewee: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call, song · El Oro: Reserva Buenaventura 9 km WNW Piñas, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Smoke-colored Pewee: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Dawn song · Napo: Cord. de los Guacamayos (2035-2150 m), Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Smoke-colored Pewee

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Smoke-colored Pewee

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 7 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Ecuador Colombia Peru Venezuela Argentina Bolivia Guyana

Recorded as a rare visitor in Brazil.

About the Smoke-colored Pewee

The smoke-colored pewee is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. The species is characterized by a uniform dusky-grey plumage.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Cuban Pewee (Contopus caribaeus) Cuban PeweeContopus caribaeusThe Cuban pewee is 15 to 16.5 cm (5.9 to 6.5 in) long and weighs 8.5 to 13.5 g (0.30 to 0.48 oz). Dark Pewee (Contopus lugubris) Dark PeweeContopus lugubrisThe dark pewee is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. Lesser Antillean Pewee (Contopus latirostris) Lesser Antillean PeweeContopus latirostrisAll three subspecies of the Lesser Antillean pewee are about 15 cm (5.9 in) long.

Side by side: Olive-sided Flycatcher vs Smoke-colored Pewee · Smoke-colored Pewee vs Southern Tropical Pewee · Greater Pewee vs Smoke-colored Pewee · Cuban Pewee vs Smoke-colored Pewee · Lesser Antillean Pewee vs Smoke-colored Pewee

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