Listen for the distinctive call of an eastern wood-pewee in summertime forests. Here's how to recognize this bird, by sight and by ear.
How to Identify an Eastern Wood-Pewee
The eastern wood-pewee isn’t a tricky bird to identify if you hear its classic call: pe-a-wee! To identify them by sight, look for a bird slightly smaller than an eastern bluebird, with a grayish back and a white breast. The amount of gray on the chest varies, although some describe them as appearing to wear a “gray vest.”
Unlike some other members of the flycatcher family such as the great crested flycatcher, they feature minimal yellow on the breast. Note two visible white bars on the bird’s long wings, and distinguish it from most other flycatchers by its lack of a white eye-ring.
Range and Habitat
As their name implies, the eastern wood-pewee inhabits most of the eastern United States. They visit the eastern states during summer, and they pass through the southernmost portions of the country during migration.
Within their range, look for eastern wood-pewees near woodland clearings and in deciduous forests. Their preferred places include roadsides and orchards, and during migration they’ll visit a variety of wooded habitats.
Learn how to identify an eastern phoebe.
Diet: What Do Eastern Wood-Pewees Eat?
While it’s possibly easiest to recognize an eastern wood-pewee by its call, its behavior can also be a key indicator as to the bird’s identity. This bird utilizes a distinctive technique to catch and eat bugs — birders can watch as it flies out from a branch, catches its target, and then returns to the branch. Bugs caught include flies, butterflies, moths, beetles, grasshoppers, and crickets. It eats small amounts of berries, too.
Nesting Habits
Eastern wood-pewees nest in trees, between 15 and 45 feet off the ground. Nests are small and often resemble a bump on a branch. The female lays two to four eggs, and incubation lasts for about two weeks. Slightly more than two weeks later, young leave the nest.
Eastern Wood-Pewee Sounds
One of the easiest ways to identify this bird is to listen for its call. Males sing a high-pitched “pe-a-weeee!” They often sing throughout the day.
Listen to the eastern wood-pewee’s song.
Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
READ ON: Learn how to identify an eastern kingbird
Sources
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Eastern Wood-Pewee: Life History“
- National Audubon Society, “Field Guide: Eastern Wood-Pewee“
