Eastern Wood-pewee

(Contopus virens)

Status: Special Concern (ESA 2014, SARA 2017)

Table of Contents:

Species Identification
Diet
Habitat and Range
Biology and Behaviour
Similar Species
Threats/Reasons for Being Endangered
Conservation and Recovery Strategies
How You Can Help

Species Identification:

The Eastern Wood-pewee is a small forest bird (15-16 cm). They have an olive-grey back, whitish-grey throat and breast, and their wings each have two white bars. They have a small, sharp beak which is perfect for catching flying insects. Eastern Wood-pewees are usually identified by their distinctive three-note call- “pee-ah-wee”, which the male will sing throughout the day during breeding season. Males and females are similar in appearance.

Diet:

As with other flycatchers, the wood-pewee sits on branches and swoops down to catch insects, and returns to the same perch to eat. This behaviour is called “hawking” or “flycatching”. They may also eat insects off of lower vegetation. They eat a range of small flying insects including bees, wasps, beetles, moths, butterflies, grasshoppers, and various flies.

Map taken from: https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/species-risk-registry/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_Eastern%20Wood-pewee_2013_e.pdf

Habitat and Range:

The Eastern Wood-pewee breeds in the southern parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritime provinces. In the United States, their range extends into the eastern states all the way to Texas and east along the Atlantic coast. They overwinter in northern South America including parts of Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Ontario is estimated to host 69% of the Canadian breeders, and these species can be found throughout The Land Between.

Preferred breeding habitat is within mature or intermediate mixed-wood forests with large trees and sparse undergrowth. They are often found near canopy gaps or forest edges, and prefer deciduous trees. While the patch size does not seem to be important, their abundance declines with proximity to residential developments. When other forest birds are present, they occupy the mid-canopy level of forests. Nests are built high up in mature trees, and dead branches are used for perching. During migration and over winter, Eastern Wood-pewees will use a wider range of habitat types including shrubby patches and open forest edges.

Biology and Behaviour:

Adults arrive at their breeding grounds in May and quickly form pair bonds to build their nests. Nests are built on the branches of a tall tree, and are constructed out of grass, plant fibers, and lichen to keep them well-camouflaged. An average of 3 eggs are laid and incubated for about 12 days, and fledging occurs 16 to 18 days after hatching. The egg-laying period ends in mid-August, and then the Pewees prepare for their fall migration.

Potential predators include squirrels, blue jays, raptors, and raccoons. Young are more vulnerable, but nests are fairly well hidden so predation is less of a concern. Nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird is an issue for some nesters. One study found cowbird eggs in 5% of Eastern Wood-pewee nests.

Similar Species:

Eastern Wood-pewees look almost exactly like the Western Wood-pewee, but they have a different call. The two species do not have much overlapping territory, so if you are in Ontario, chances are you are seeing an Eastern Wood-pewee
Pewees can be distinguished from Willow Flycatchers by their larger size, lack of eye rings, and more pointed wings

Threats/ Reasons for being at Risk:

1. Habitat degradation: Eastern Wood-pewees will not tolerate high amounts of urban development in their territories, and most of the suitable mature deciduous stands were lost upon European settlement in southern Ontario. They are less likely to be found in forests that border urban settings, and forests with primarily young trees. Threats in their non-breeding habitat are not well understood, but deforestation in South America due to urbanization and agricultural practices likely affects Eastern Wood-pewee populations.

2. Large-scale changes in availability of flying-insects: Aerial insectivore populations have been declining since the 1980s, likely due to unpredictable weather and cold snaps from climate change, increased use of pesticides that remain in forest ecosystems, and loss of wetland habitat for insect breeding grounds.

3. Mortality during migration or overwintering: Like many other migratory bird species, Eastern Wood-pewees experience high mortality rates while migrating. This is mainly due to increased risk of extreme weather, and inability to find food.

5. Overbrowsing by White-tailed deer: Overbrowsing of forests from White-tailed deer can dramatically change the species composition of a forest by decreasing plant and tree diversity and not allowing for new growth or dense undergrowth. This can also decrease the amount of flying insects in a forest.

Conservation and recovery strategies:

Within federal lands (i.e. waterways and national parks), populations of Eastern Wood-pewee are being monitored, and there are efforts towards maintaining appropriate habitat. Across Canada the Wood-pewee is protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. Forests that are managed on provincial land must follow the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. Since the Eastern Wood-pewee is listed as Special Concern in Ontario, no direct action is being taken to protect this species or their habitat, but they may benefit from protection of other Species At Risk in their habitats.

How can you help?

Leave large diameter trees standing on your property or woodlot.
Buy Forest Stewardship Council-certified products to ensure sustainable forest management.
Buy Fair-trade, shade-grown coffee to support local farmers in South America who are using sustainable practices. Such practices greatly reduce the number of trees that are cut down in areas where Canadian breeding birds like to overwinter.
Encourage insects to breed on your property by protecting wetlands, leaving dead wood, or putting up insect feeders. The aerial insectivores will thank you!

Additional Resources:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology page
See this eBird page for more pictures, videos, and call recordings
Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve profile

Sources:

COSEWIC. 2012. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Eastern Wood-pewee Contopus virens in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. x + 39 pp. (www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default_e.cfm).