Western Wood-pewee

16 cm (6.25 in)

6 years

Western Wood-pewee predominantly consumes insects such as flying ants, bees, crane flies, mayflies, dragonflies, wasps, beetles, and moths. It employs a sit-and-wait strategy on prominent perches, capturing smaller insects midair and returning to its perch to consume larger prey.

Western Wood-pewee predominantly inhabit open woodlands and forest edges, particularly in areas with large trees and reduced understory. They favor environments with a blend of living trees and standing dead timber, which suits their nesting and foraging habits. These birds thrive across a broad altitudinal range, from sea level to approximately 10,000 feet, adapting to various forest types including oak, cottonwood, aspen, ponderosa pine, and spruce. Burned forests with increased snags are also ideal. For breeding, western Wood-pewee select habitats like California black oak forests, while during migration and winter, they occupy similar woodlands and mature to second-growth tropical forests, as high as montane regions in South America.

Western Wood-pewee selects nest sites with their mate through a courtship ritual. The female constructs the nest over 3 days to 2 weeks. The couple does not typically reuse nests, preferring to build anew each breeding season. Parental care patterns include both parents feeding the young.

Western Wood-pewee typically nests on a fork in a horizontal branch, using grasses, plant fibers, bark, and plant down bound with spiderweb. The exterior is camouflaged with mosses and insect skins, while the interior is lined with fine grasses and feathers. The nest measures around 3 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall.