Photo: Rhododendrites / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Eastern Wood Pewee
Contopus virens
Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of North America.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens) is a member of the Tyrannidae family found in North America. Adults weigh 13.9 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Tyrannidae Tyrant Flycatchers, Calyptura
- Genus Contopus
- Species virens
Quick facts
- Weight
- 13.9 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Eastern Wood Pewee is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Eastern Wood Pewee is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens) belongs to the Tyrannidae family of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across North America. Its distribution covers NA sc, se Canada to sc, se USA.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 13.9 g, with a wing length of about 8.1 cm and a tail of around 6.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 4.1 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Eastern Wood Pewee?
The Eastern Wood Pewee is a very small bird that weighs around 13.9 g.
Where does the Eastern Wood Pewee live?
The Eastern Wood Pewee is found across North America with a range covering NA sc, se Canada to sc, se USA, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Eastern Wood Pewee belong to?
The Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens) belongs to the Tyrannidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Eastern Wood Pewee eat?
The Eastern Wood Pewee is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Eastern Wood Pewee migrate?
The Eastern Wood Pewee is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Eastern Wood Pewee endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Eastern Wood Pewee make?
1 real field recording of the Eastern Wood Pewee — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Eastern Wood Pewee's range?
The Eastern Wood Pewee has a mapped global range of about 4.1 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Tyrannidae
A field guide to the Tyrannidae family — 444 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.