Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus) is in the Tyrant Flycatchers family (Tyrannidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 13,818 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in May.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: summer visitor / breeder. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Western Wood-Pewee: observations by month (U.S.)

About Western Wood-Pewee

The western wood pewee (Contopus sordidulus) is a small tyrant flycatcher. 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;...From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Western Wood-Pewee by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (Tyrant Flycatchers)

Eastern PhoebeSayornis phoebe

Black PhoebeSayornis nigricans

Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus

Say's PhoebeSayornis saya

Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis

Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus

Vermilion FlycatcherPyrocephalus rubinus

Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus

Photography tips

• Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
• Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
• Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
• Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ