Contopus sordidulus
The Western wood-pewee is a flycatcher. It ambushes insects that it hawks on the wing as they fly by its perch.
Flycatchers give many birders difficulty. Many of the flycatchers are similar in characteristics, and some can only be separated reliably by their vocalizations. The Western wood-pewee's song is a harsh, burry "pee-eer," descending in pitch. The call note is a burry "bzew."
The Western wood-pewee will quiver its wings when landing, but not its tail as other flycatchers often do. It has a dark grayish overall plumage on its upper parts, and the underparts are paler. The wings show two thin white bars. The bill is dark with some yellow-orange at the base of the lower mandible. Its feet and legs are black. It does not have an eye ring.
It is a small sparrow-sized bird measuring 6 inches in length with a wing span of 10 inches. This bird is a neotropical migrant, moving into Utah in the spring with the emergence of insects. It remains throughout spring and the summer breeding and nesting season. Western wood-pewees are found in riparian woodlands, mixed hardwood and conifer forests of the mountains throughout Utah.
Pewees are monogamous. The female builds the nest and incubates two to four eggs for 12 or 13 days. The young are altricial (born naked, eyes closed and helpless) and are fed by both parents. The young pewees fledge from the nest within 14-18 days.
---
* BILL FENIMORE is owner of the Layton Wild Bird Center, www.wildbird. com/layton. Join the Layton Wild Bird Center for a free bird walk to the East Kaysville Foothills, Saturday at 8 a.m. Call 801-525-8400 or log onto www.wildbird.com for more details.
