Greater Pewee

Greater Pewee

Contopus pertinax

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Mexico City

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

3,099 Verified sightings at Mexico City
422 In all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

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, 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 →

Sounds

Call0:50

Mexico · 2026

© Manuel Grosselet · XC1107062 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dawn song1:20

Mexico · 2018

© Richard E. Webster · XC447708 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:44

United States · 2017

© Scott Olmstead · XC373927 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
2 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~30%
3 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
4 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
5 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
6 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
7 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Toluca 🇲🇽 México
~30%
2 Guatemala City 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~30%
3 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
~30%
4 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
~30%
5 Puebla 🇲🇽 México
~10%
6 Torreón 🇲🇽 México
<5%
7 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
9 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Greater Pewee in Mexico City?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Pewee sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 3,099 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 37th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Greater Pewee in Mexico City?

October and December–January

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Pewee in Mexico City on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month. Those are among Mexico City's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 150 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Greater Pewee?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Greater Pewee sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Mexico City the best place to see a Greater Pewee?

Among the best

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Greater Pewee sightings, Mexico City ranks 4th at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Toluca (México, about 30%), Guatemala City (Guatemala, about 30%) and Guadalajara (México, about 30%).

Where does the Greater Pewee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Greater Pewee is recorded against all the birds logged in Mexico City (3,099 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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