Greater Pewee
Contopus pertinax
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusContopus (Pewees)
- SpeciesContopus pertinax (Greater Pewee)
About the Greater Pewee
The greater pewee (Contopus pertinax), formerly known as Coues's flycatcher, is a passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found from Arizona and New Mexico to Nicaragua. The greater pewee has two subspecies, the nominate C. p. pertinax (Cabanis & Heine, 1860) and C. p. minor (Miller, W & Griscom, 1925). The greater pewee, dark pewee (C. lugubris) and smoke-colored pewee (C. fumigatus) form a superspecies.
The greater pewee is 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to 7.9 in) long and weighs about 22 to 36 g (0.78 to 1.3 oz). The sexes have the same plumage with a spiky crest. Subspecies C. p. minor is smaller than the nominate but has essentially the same plumage. Adults have a plain olive-gray head and upperparts, with pale lores and a slightly lighter face than the rest of the head. Their wings are dusky grayish brown with grayish olive ends on the coverts that show as two faint wing bars. They have pale grayish edges on their secondaries. Their tail is dusky grayish brown. Their chin is dull whitish and their throat and sides are olive-gray with a buffy yellowish tinge. The center of their breast, their belly, and their undertail... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Western Wood-Pewee
Contopus sordidulus
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Vermilion Flycatcher
Pyrocephalus rubinus
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
Say's Phoebe
Sayornis saya
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus tyrannulus
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Myiarchus cinerascens
Cassin's Kingbird
Tyrannus vociferans
Western Kingbird
Tyrannus verticalis
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis
Gray Flycatcher
Empidonax wrightii
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Greater Pewee in Saguaro National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Pewee sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 591 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Greater Pewee in Saguaro National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Greater Pewee in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.