Skip to main content

A Unique Nesting Site of the Western Wood Pewee

Authors
J. A. Munro
Journal
Condor
Volume
43
Issue
2 (March-April)
Year
1941
Pages
116
Section
From Field and Study
Online Text

A Unique Nesting Site of the Western Wood Pewee

In my garden at Okanagan Landing, British Columbia, in July, 1940, a pair of Western Wood Pewees (Myiochanes richardsonii richardsonii) selected a nesting site that was thought to be unique. This was a double wrap of burlap placed around a young quince tree and its supporting stake three feet above the ground. It happened that the material had been tied in such a manner as to form a hammock-like structure open at the top, closed at the bottom, and about three inches in diameter. The bottom of the nest filled this space.

Fig. 30. Nest of Western Wood Pewee on burlap support. In this locality the Western Wood Pewee commonly builds a compact, sometimes lichen-covered, nest on a horizontal branch. Usually cottonwood down and horsehair are important constituents and often the outside is well coated with cobweb. This particular nest was loosely made of fine, dry grass to which had been added one small piece of string, three pheasant feathers and a very small amount of cobweb.

J. A. Munro

Okanagan Landing, British Columbia, December 30, 1940

Advanced Search