Life List 050
Visually documented
Western Wood-Pewee
Contopus sordidulus
- First photographed
- June 1, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
An evolving study
Western Wood-Pewee portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Contopus sordidulus
Overview
The Western Wood-Pewee is a slender flycatcher of western forests, often first detected by its descending, burry call. It waits from an exposed perch, flies out to capture insects, and frequently returns to the same branch.
Identification
Gray-brown above with a dusky vest on the breast, pale belly, two narrow whitish wingbars, long wings, and a peaked rear crown. The lower bill is usually partly yellow-orange, and the bird lacks a strong eye ring.
Range
Breeds from Alaska and western Canada through the western United States and Mexico. It migrates to western South America for the nonbreeding season.
Habitat
Open coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forest, woodland edges, burned areas, riparian groves, and shade trees.
Diet
Flying insects captured in aerial sallies, with occasional insects or small berries taken from vegetation.
Photography by Brittany Templin
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