Greater Pewee - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Lisa W
Garden Canyon, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, USA, May 2008

Contopus pertinax

Identification

17–19 cm
Pale lower mandible is important for recognizing this bird but may not be easy to see or photograph.

Distribution

North America: Arizona
Central America: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• C. p. pertinax (pallidiventris):

• South-western US to southern Mexico; winters to Belize and Guatemala

• C. p. minor:

• Highlands of Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and northern Nicaragua

Habitat

Desert riparian zone and secondary woodland. Nests in conferous forests

Behaviour

Usually perches near treetops, flying out to catch insects.

Diet

Their main diet is insects during the breeding season; otherwise they eat fruits.

Vocalisation

Call: pip-pip-pip

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Birdforum thread containing an instructive discussion on the color of the lower mandible of this species
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2014)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Greater Pewee. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 June 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Greater_Pewee

External Links

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