The Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus) is a small, olive-brown tyrant flycatcher that breeds in coniferous and mixed forests across western North America. It is best identified by its plain, sneezy "brrrt" call and its habit of perching high in treetops to sally for insects.
Learn to identify
Western Wood-Pewee perched, shown in side view.
Learning lesson · openly licensed photographs, labelled by BirdBot; labels checked against the cited sources and approved by AI
No eye-ring: most Empidonax flycatchers have one. Pale-based lower bill: yellowish at the base; the rest of the bill is dark. Two wing bars: pale but often faint. Olive-washed breast: gray-olive above, light below. Eastern Wood-Pewee looks almost the same: use range and voice.
Its call is a harsh, nasal pee-eeer.
Sources: Audubon Guide to North American Birds: Western Wood-Pewee · Wikipedia: Western wood pewee (revision 1380711701)
Photo: Mike's Birds, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; labels added by BirdBot.
Visually, the Western Wood-Pewee is a subtle bird. Look for an angular head with a moderate crest and a short tail. The flanks are dark brown with blurry streaks, contrasting with an olive breast and a whitish throat and belly. A key field mark is the distinctly fringed tertials, which are more prominent than the wing bars. The bill is mostly dark, with the lower mandible appearing about 50% darker than the upper. Juveniles have a duller throat and less vibrant wing bars than adults.
Voice is the most reliable way to separate the Western Wood-Pewee from the similar Eastern Wood-Pewee. The Western Wood-Pewee produces a plain, sneezy "brrrt" call, which contrasts with the rougher, nasal whistle of the Eastern Wood-Pewee (described as "DREE-yurr" or "breerrr"). During the breeding season, the bird emits a sound described as "tswee-tee-teet." Historical accounts, such as Leander S. Keyser's Birds of the Rockies (1902), described the song as a "piercing scream" that sounded more like a cry of anguish than a song to some observers.
According to AviList v2026, the Western Wood-Pewee breeds from eastern Alaska through western and central North America to Honduras, mainly in highlands in the southern part of its range. It winters mainly in the Andes to Bolivia. In summer, the species is found in evergreen forests, woodlands, coniferous forests, and both open and closed canopy forests. In winter, it occupies agricultural fields, meadows, grasslands, and thickets, generally preferring dry environments. Historical observations from the Rocky Mountains, such as those by Leander S. Keyser (1902), noted the species as a common summer resident most frequently encountered at elevations between 7,000 and 11,000 feet, a pattern consistent with its modern preference for highland habitats in the southern portion of its breeding range.
Western Wood-Pewees appear calm, often perching on branches for long periods to watch for prey. They hunt by flying out to catch insects in the air, twisting quickly to capture them, and immediately returning to the perch. Their diet consists primarily of flies, wasps, bees, ants, beetles, moths, and butterflies, with occasional consumption of dragonflies, termites, and spiders. All prey is caught in the air.
The species is seasonally monogamous. Females build shallow cup nests at the end of tree branches, typically 5 to 12 meters above the ground. These nests are woven from fiber, grasses, lichens, spider webs, and shredded bark, blending in with the tree to resemble stubs. The female lays 2 to 4 eggs, with an incubation period of about 12 days. Fledging lasts 14 to 18 days, after which the young leave the nest within three days. Both parents tend the young, though the female is most active at the nest during the first four days.
The Western Wood-Pewee is listed as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN Red List, as recorded in AviList v2026. While the species is generally abundant, the Breeding Bird Survey has noted an increase in Washington but a decrease in British Columbia and Oregon. These decreases may be linked to habitat loss on breeding and winter grounds, though specific causal relationships require further study.
Because the Western Wood-Pewee is often high in the canopy, listening is the most effective way to locate it. In the southern part of its breeding range, focus on highland coniferous forests from early May through June, when mating activity is most intense. Listen for the distinctive "brrrt" call or the breeding "tswee-tee-teet" before attempting a visual identification. Once located, observe quietly from a distance, noting the bird's behavior as it sallies out to catch insects and returns to its perch. Avoid approaching nests, which are well-hidden and difficult to locate without disturbing the birds.
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