pewee

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pewee

bird

Also known as: Contopus, peewee

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also spelled:: Peewee

Related Topics:: tyrant flycatcher; eastern wood pewee; western wood pewee

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pewee, any of eight species of birds of the genus Contopus (family Tyrannidae); it is named for its call, which is monotonously repeated from an open perch. In North America a sad, clear “pee-oo-wee” announces the presence of the eastern wood pewee (C. virens), while a blurry “peeurrr” is the call of the western wood pewee (C. sordidulus). Some authorities consider the western form to be a race of C. virens. Both forms are plain birds, about 14 cm (6 inches) long, that resemble the eastern phoebe; the two forms differ from the eastern phoebe, however, in being browner and more slender and in having two distinct whitish wing bars.

Wood pewees winter chiefly in northern South America. Other pewees are found in Central and South America.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.