If people disturb the birds then there is a possibility that the mother will leave her nest. This is usually caused by an overabundance of human activity surrounding them. The mothers would not only leave the nest, but her young as well.
Blue jays are nest predators on this species. They will feed on the young in the nest. Hawks are also predators of C. sordidulus. The nest is made up of colors that will allow it to look like a stump on the tree. Camouflage is their way of avoiding predation.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
Tail: 7-7.62 cm
Western wood-pewees have angular heads with moderate crests. Their flanks and sides are dark brown with blurry streaks that go toward the lower sides. Their tertials are distinctly fringed and are more obvious than their wing bars. Western wood-pewees' tails are short relative to their body proportions. They have long upper tail coverts which reach the midway point of the primary extensions, which are known to be long. Their bills are mostly dark, the lower mandibles are about 50% darker than the unpper mandibles. Their breasts have an olive look. Also, the throats have a whitish color which continues on their bellies and under their tails.
There are differences between the adult and the juvenile plumage. The adult has more of a grayish throat whereas the juvenile has a dull color. Also the wing bars are not as vibrant on juveniles as they are on adult C. sordidulus.
Average mass: 13 g.
Range length: 133.35 to 165.1 mm.
Range wingspan: 82.55 to 88.9 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Although information on the exact life expectancy of C. sordidulus is unavailable, eastern wood-pewees, which are very similar to western wood-pewee groups, have a life expectancy of about 7 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 7 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 97 months.
In the summer, C. sordidulus are found in evergreen forests, woodlands, coniferous forests, and also open and closed canopy forests. In the winter they can also be found in agricultural fields, meadows, grasslands, and thickets. In general, western wood-pewees prefer dry environments.
Western wood-pewees are seen close to land but are usually found in tall treetops. They build nests at the end of tree branches. The limbs can either be dead or alive, the birds have no known preference. Usually the branches are at least 5-12 meters above the ground. The nests are weaved out of fiber, grasses, lichens, spider webs, and shredded bark and are shaped like shallow cups. The blending of the color and the shape to the tree allows them to go practically unnoticed resembling stubs on the branches.
Habitat Regions: temperate
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Aquatic Biomes: rivers and streams
Other Habitat Features: riparian
Contopus sordidulus are found in western North America, starting in east central Alaska, to northwestern Minnesota, all the way south into southern Baja. In the fall they leave the northern area and head towards the south. During the winter, they can be found migrating even further south to Panama.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic ; neotropical
The majority of the time, C. sordidulus feed on insects such as flies, wasps, bees, ants, beetles, moths, and butterflies. On other occasions they eat dragonflies, termites, and spiders. All the insects are caught in the air. Contopus sordidulus hunt from the perch and capture prey by twisting very quickly in the air. Immediately after catching a prey item, they return to the perch.
Animal Foods: insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore , Eats non-insect arthropods)
Contopus sordidulus provide food for blue jays as well as other predators. Western wood-pewees also prey on various insects and spiders.
Songbirds such as western wood-pewees, are important to birdwatchers. In addition, as generalist insectivores, they may affect pest populations.
Positive Impacts: ecotourism ; controls pest population
Western wood-pewees have no known negative affects on humans.
Contopus sordidulus are abundant, but according to the Breeding Bird Survey, there is an increase in Washington but a decrease in British Colombia and Oregon. The decrease could be due to the loss of habitat on breeding grounds and winter grounds.
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Contopus sordidulus are very hard to differentiate from other birds in their family, such as eastern wood-pewees. But the one thing that does stand out is their communication calls. Eastern wood-pewees have a nasal whistle that sounds like "DREE-yurr" or "breerrr". It sounds very rough. Western wood-pewees sound a bit different, like a plain, sneezy, "brrrt". During breeding a sound is sent out as "tswee-tee-teet".
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Mating begins in early May but the prime time is around June. The male sings to defend a nesting territory and also uses the songs to attract a mate. The male then takes over a woodland territory that is about 2-6 acres. They are seasonally monogamous.
Mating System: monogamous
The female usually lays 2-4 eggs. When the young are born, the incubation time lasts for about 12 days. By the 7th day, the young have developed all their feathers. The fledging process lasts about 14-18 days and then they leave the nest within the 3 days of fledging.
Breeding interval: Western wood pewee birds breed once a year
Breeding season: Breeding occurs May to mid July.
Range eggs per season: 2 to 4.
Range fledging age: 14 to 18 days.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
The young are tended by both parents, but the female is usually at the nest the most during the first 4 days. The young are fed insects.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning, Protecting: Male, Female)
The western wood pewee (Contopus sordidulus) is a small tyrant flycatcher. Adults are gray-olive on the upperparts[2] with light underparts, washed with olive on the breast. They have two wing bars and a dark bill with yellow at the base of the lower mandible. This bird is very similar in appearance to the eastern wood pewee; the two birds were formerly considered to be one species. The call of C. sordidulus is a loud buzzy peeer; the song consists of three rapid descending tsees ending with a descending peeer.
Measurements:[3]
Their breeding habitat is open wooded areas in western North America. These birds migrate to South America at the end of summer. The female lays two or three eggs in an open cup nest on a horizontal tree branch or within a tree cavity; California black oak forests are examples of suitable nesting habitat for this species of bird.[4] Both parents feed the young.
They wait on a perch at a middle height in a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight (hawking), sometimes hovering to pick insects from vegetation (gleaning).
The western wood pewee (Contopus sordidulus) is a small tyrant flycatcher. Adults are gray-olive on the upperparts with light underparts, washed with olive on the breast. They have two wing bars and a dark bill with yellow at the base of the lower mandible. This bird is very similar in appearance to the eastern wood pewee; the two birds were formerly considered to be one species. The call of C. sordidulus is a loud buzzy peeer; the song consists of three rapid descending tsees ending with a descending peeer.
