Western Wood-Pewee 271 



Western Wood-Pewee. Myiochanes richardsoni. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 462. — Colorado Records — Allen 72, pp. 151, 158 ; 

 Aiken 72, p. 206 ; Trippe 74, p. 247 ; Henshaw 75, p. 353 ; Scott 79, 

 p. 94 ; Minot 80, p. 231 ; Drew 81, p. 140 ; Tresz 81, p. 183 ; Allen & 

 Brewster 83, p. 195 ; Drew 85, p. 17 ; Beckham 85, p. 143 ; Morrison 

 86, p. 153 ; 88, p. 107 ; 89, p. 146 ; Kellogg 90, p. 90 ; Lowe 92, p. 101 ; 

 94, p. 268 ; Miller 94, p. 38 ; McGregor 97, p. 38 ; Cooke 97, pp. 19, 

 88, 209 ; Keyser 02, p. 32 ; Henderson 03, p. 235 ; 09, p. 232 ; Warren 

 06, p. 21 ; 08, p. 21 ; Gihnan 07, p. 155 ; Rockwell 08, p. 167 ; Markman 

 08, p. 156. 



Description. — Above very dark slaty-brown, with a very faint wash 

 of olive, darker brown on the crowm ; wings and tail blackish-brown ; 

 the greater- and middle-coverts and secondaries edged with whitish ; 

 below dusky grey over the greater part of the breast and flanks ; paler, 

 sometimes whitish, on the chin and throat ; the middle of the abdomen 

 usually washed with very pale yellow ; upper mandible dark brown , 

 lower mandible pale brown, but never so pale as in M. virens. Length 

 5-50 ; wing 3-50 ; tail 2-50 ; culmen -50 ; tarsus -47. 



The young birds are very like the advilts, the sexes of which are alike, 

 but the pale tips of the coverts and secondaries are more conspicuous 

 and tinged with pale rufous. 



Distribution. — Breeding through western North America from Alaska 

 and Manitoba southwards to western Texas and northern Mexico, in 

 winter south over the rest of Mexico and Central America to Ecuador 

 and northern BoHvia. 



The Western Wood-Pewee is a common summer resident throughout 

 Colorado, breeding from the plains to at least 10,000 feet. It has been 

 recorded as common in the following localities : Boulder co. (Minot 

 & Henderson), EI Paso co. (Aiken), Estes Park (Kellogg), Bergin 

 Park, 7,500 feet (Trippe), South Park (Allen) ; Wet Mountains, 10,000 

 feet (Lowe) ; Breckenridge, 9,700 feet (Carter) ; Twin Lakes, 9,300 feet 

 (Scott) ; Deep Creek, Gunnison co., breeding, June 30th (Warren) ; 

 San Juan co. (Drew) ; La Plata co. (Morrison) ; Mesa co., 7,000 to 

 10,000 feet (Rockwell), and Baca co. (Warren). It arrives in El Paso 

 CO. about the first week in May, reaching the mountains about tlu:ee 

 weeks later, and leaves again for the south in September. It has 

 been noticed as early as April 25th at Pueblo (Lowe). 



Habits. — ^The Western Pewee, though closely resembling 

 its relative of the east in appearance, differs from it very 

 considerably in habits ; it frequents more open country, 

 and has a much harsher, more abrupt, and less-pleasiug 

 song. It is generally to be found in the lower branches 



