Contopus pertinax
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 9 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Pewee sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 75 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Pewee in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, against about 20% in December, the lowest month. April and June–September have too few records to rate.
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.
Yes
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Greater Pewee sightings, Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Celaque National Park (Honduras, about 30%) and Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Greater Pewee that you can see in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Vermilion Flycatcher (about 30%), Cassin's Kingbird (about 20%) and Pacific-slope Flycatcher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Greater Pewee is recorded against all the birds logged in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (75 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
