Greater Pewee, Contopus pertinax

Greater Pewee, Contopus pertinax pertinax. Photograph taken within the greater Los Alamos area, Sonora, January 2018. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Greater Pewee, Contopus pertinax pertinax. Photograph taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, April 2010. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Behrstock, Sierra Vista, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).

Background and Identification

The Greater Pewee, Contopus pertinax pertinax, is one of two subspecies of Greater Pewee, both of which are found in Mexico. They are a member of the Tyrannidae Family of Tyrant Flycatchers, which has four hundred twenty-five global members placed in one hundred and one genera, and is one of fourteen global species of the Contopus Genus. They historically have been known at Coues’s and Coues’ Flycatcher and in Mexico are known as pibí tengofrío.

The Greater Pewee is large in stature. They are drab in color with plain gray plumage being darker above. They have a distinctive spiky, tufted crest. Their upper bill is dusky brown to black, their lower bill is yellowish to orange with a vivid orange lining. Their iris is brown, and their legs and feet are dusky brown or blackish. The male’s tail and wings are slightly longer than the females.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Greater Pewee is found in humid as well as arid pine and pine-oak woodlands. They are rarely seen on the ground and forage for flying insects that they dislodge from the foliage, supplemented with seasonal berries and fruits. The northern populations are found at elevations between 2,100 m (6,900 feet) and 3,000 m (9,840 feet). The southern populations are found at elevations between 1,360 m (4,500 feet) and 3,000 m (9,840 feet). The Greater Pewee is a short-distance migrant. Their nests are heavily preyed upon by hawks, jays, ravens, snakes, squirrels, and woodpeckers. They are known for their counter attacks on potential predators which include Jays, Woodpeckers, and squirrels. They are normally located by their territorial song. They have life spans of up to seven years.

The Greater Pewee is a summer or permanent resident of the mountains of western and central Mexico from the United States border south to Guatemala. The northern populations found from northern Chihuahua and northern Sonora, move south to the lowlands of the Pacific Slope from southern Sonora to Guatemala for wintering or they move short distances to lower altitudes. Their southern populations are year-round residents or migrate altitudinally to riparian areas to winter. The pertinax subspecies is found from the United States border to west and central Mexico year-round and in winters south to Guatemala.

Common Misidentifications

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Greater Pewee is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely-distributed populations. Their long-term viability is potentially threatened by deforestation of large conifers within which they reside.