Nature PEI

Eastern Wood-pewee — Special Concern

Eastern Wood-peewee

Contopus virens

This species is one of the most common and widespread songbirds associated with the eastern forests of North America. It ranges east from Saskatchewan but does not occur in Newfoundland and Labrador. While the species is apparently resilient to many kinds of habitat changes, like most other long-distance migrants that specialize on a diet of flying insects, it has experienced persistent declines over the past 40 years both in Canada and the United States. The species has declined by 63% since 1970 and was stable during the 2009–2019 period. With a loud 3-note whistle, it is still quite detectable on PEI, but populations have declined the most in the Maritimes, the northeastern portion of the species’ range. Other birds that forage on flying insects are also declining across North America, often with similar patterns of strong declines in the northeast. The common diet of this bird group points towards reduced availability or quality of insect prey. Several factors combined may explain this reduction of insect prey, including widespread insecticide use, climate change, and/or lingering effects of acid rain. Loss of forest habitat on the wintering ground may also restrict the Eastern Wood-peewee. A Management Plan was released in 2023.

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