Fifty Birds of Town and City
Wood Pewee (contopus sp.)
The bird of this painting ranges from the east coast through the Mississippi
Valley, where its range meets that of the western pewee. They are hard to tell apart
visually, although the songs are quite different. Both species also look like
eastern phoebes, so spotting this bird with assurance requires some study. The names
of all these birds are based upon their calls, and all are flycatchers.
The pewees like groves of mixed trees, and at twilight the eastern species sings a
plaintive whistled song that is longer and more varied than its daylight song. You
are much more likely to see or hear the pewee in outer suburbia housing areas than in
the inner city or on shopping center parking lots, since they require tall trees and
cannot be heard above traffic noises.
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