Blackish Pewee

Overview

The blackish pewee is a species of tyrant flycatcher found in parts of South America. It is a year-round resident that inhabits humid Andean montane and terra firme forests across Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, and Peru, with a possibly hypothetical presence in Colombia.

Identification

• Approximately 13 cm long, weighing between 9 g and 10 g.
• Dark sooty gray plumage overall, with a blackish gray crown and a slight crest; wings are blackish brown.
• Features a wide, flat bill with a black upper part and a pale grayish-ochre lower part, along with black legs and feet.
• Song varies by subspecies, including a "snappy but somewhat burry chí-bew" or a rising-falling "dzree'whew", sung from high perches.

Habitat

Found in humid Andean montane forests and terra firme forests in foothills, typically occupying the canopy and forest edges. Elevations range between 400 and 1,500 m depending on the region. Its distribution is highly disjunct, with intermittent populations along the eastern slopes of the Andes and scattered locations in eastern Amazonian Brazil.

Diet

Feeds on insects, foraging singly or in pairs by sitting erect on exposed perches high in trees at the forest edge or along watercourses. It captures prey in mid-air by hawking and usually returns to the same perch, shivering its tail upon landing.

Did you know?

After returning to its perch following a feeding sally, the bird "shivers" its tail.