FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
There are a total of eight species of birds in the Pewee family. Western wood pewee birds are one among the same family. Their common name is western wood pewee and their scientific name is Contopus sordidulus. They are named after their sound. Pewee is also often spelled 'peewee'. There exist three types of pewee birds of North America native to the region. The eastern and western are seen in the largest range.
The western wood pewee has a blurry 'peeurrr' sound while the eastern wood pewee has a clear 'pee-oo-wee' sound. Such minor differences exist among all species of the Pewee family. In this article, we will take a look at some fun and interesting facts about the Western wood pewee. These birds are seen primarily in western North America and are migratory birds. They migrate from the northern areas to southern areas in the fall and by winter they travel further south. If you like this article, then you should also visit razorbill and sarus crane facts.
The Western wood pewee (Contopus sordidulus) is a type of bird animal and belongs to the Animalia kingdom.
The Western wood pewee (Contopus sordidulus) is a type of bird that belongs to the Aves class of species and Tyrannidae family.
The exact number of pewee birds in the world is not known however, there are a total of eight species of birds in the Pewee family.
Tyrant flycatchers prefer to stay in dry habitat environments. They exist in habitats like open woodlands, woodland edges, streams with large trees, and also canopy forests. They are seen in western North America, northwestern Minnesota, east-central Alaska as well as southern Baja, New York, California, Arizona, and Washington. They are migratory birds and travel from north in the fall to down south. During winter they travel from southern regions to further southern regions like Panama. They spend winters in the tropics.
The Western wood pewee lives in the woods including evergreen forests, coniferous forests, woodlands, streams with large trees, and also canopy forests. These bird species are also seen in agricultural fields, grasslands, and thickets.
Western wood pewees are solitary birds however while mating and migrating they often travel in a flock. Tyrant flycatchers are small to medium in size and are territorial of their areas and live in forests near streams with large trees, open understories, and standing dead trees. Oak forests are examples of a suitable nesting habitat for this species.
Western wood pewees live a total of seven years. The oldest recorded western wood pewee was eight years one month old when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations.
Western wood pewees' breeding season begins in the months of May to June. The adult male sings to attract possible mates as well as to defend their nesting territory. These nests are cup-shaped plant fibers and placed on horizontal tree branches in the forest built using grasses and other plant fibers bound with spiderwebs. Males then take over woodland territories and then the male and female mate. They are seasonally monogamous. Post mating the female lays two to four eggs. The incubation period lasts 12 days. The young chick leaves their nest once they start fledging and are independent to search for food themselves. The young are fed insects primarily by both parents and females spend more time in the nest specifically during the initial few days. Adults have buffy wingbars and juveniles are similar to adults.
The western wood pewee is considered as a Least Concern species by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature (IUCN).
The olive-sided flycatcher is often confused with the eastern phoebe or the willow flycatcher as well however, they are different species of birds. Adults are gray olive on their upper parts and have light underparts with olive on their breast. Their head has darker shades as compared to the rest of their body and they have a dark bill. The throats have a whitish color. The medium-sized grayish flycatcher has a peaked crown and two wingbars and a dark bill with yellow at the base of the lower mandible. They weigh 0.4-0.5 oz (11-14 g) and their length is wingspan is 10.2 in (26 cm). They have long wings which distinguish them from similar species. They have two wing bars and it is buff gray in color.
They are extremely cute to look at and these songbirds have a positive impact on birdwatchers. They also help regulate insect populations and are small in size. There exists detailed information about these species of birds on the National Geographic website.
Western wood pewees' best mode of identification is their range and voice. They are considered true songbirds. They also have an agitated call that is a harsh, slightly descending 'peeer' sound. Their song consists of three rapid descending 'tswee tee teet'. They have various other forms of communication including acoustic, chemical, body language, visual and tactile.
The western wood pewee is 5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm) in length which is 10 times bigger than the smallest bird in the world the bee hummingbird which is 2.4 in (5-6.1 cm).
Western wood pewees have relatively good speed. They fly at the greatest speed when they are about to catch prey which they do in the air in most instances. They are migratory birds and have the capacity to traverse long distances easily.
These birds weigh 0.4-0.5 oz which is 11-14 g. This depends on various factors like their diet and environment however, given that they are migratory birds they don't gain a lot of weight. The heaviest flying bird in the world is the kori bustard native to South Africa. They are often named the largest flying bird.
The male and female of the species are not addressed differently. Adult males and females appear more or less the same however they differ in reproductive functions.
The baby western wood pewee is referred to as nestling when they are small. They can also be referred to as juveniles. The young are completely dependant on their parents in the initial few weeks for food and shelter and once they develop feathers and are able to fly they leave their nests.
Typically they are seen on a high perch occasionally sallying out to snatch an insect which they primarily feed on. Insects including flies, moths, wasps, beetles, and ants. They do most foraging by watching from an exposed perch within the shady middle or lower level of a tree. They usually grab their prey in mid-air unlike other species of birds and then return to the perch. If they are not able to eat it immediately, they grab it and return to the same or nearby perch to eat them.
These birds are not dangerous to humans. Predators who attack these birds also often stay near the perch. Their instant response to any form of danger is their flight instinct. They are territorial beings and tend to make loud noises if troubled.
They are innately wild birds hence they thrive best in their natural environment i.e. in the wild. Other species of birds like parrots are more accommodative towards being adopted as pets.
There is an application called Merlin which you can install on your phone and it helps you identify which species of bird you just saw. It also saves memories. The only requirements are to take a picture of the species and fill out some basic questions.
The scientific name Contopus sordidulus comes from the Greek word 'kontos' which means short and 'pous' which means foot. Sordidulus means unkempt or dirty which is a reference to the color of the bird being dusky brown.
The western pewee voice sounds like its name suggests itself 'pewee'. They communicate using both songs as well as calls. Songs are usually to attract possible mates as well as protecting their nesting areas and calls are for other purposes. They also make use of acoustic, chemical, body language, visual, and tactile means to communicate.
Western wood pewees are endemic to western parts of North America however they are migratory birds and travel south as per the changes in climatic conditions. The exact places where they travel during winter are still not properly evaluated however in the fall they travel from north to south. They were initially grouped together with the eastern wood pewee however they were separated into different categories later on. If you live in a region native to these bird species keep a lookout to spot these species if you can. If you don't then you could always read up more information about them online or in other book resources.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our saker falcon fun facts or black tern interesting facts.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable free printable eastern wood pewee coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
Was this article helpful?
We’ll send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out.
Check your inbox for your latest news from us. You have subscribed to:
Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter.