I posted about the Western Wood-Pewee on June 14 of this year and wanted to create this video as a follow-up to that post.
In The Birder’s Handbook, it says that the primary foraging technique used by the Western Wood-Pewee is Hawking. The definition is: “Sallies from perch on short flights to capture insects.” It lists a secondary technique called Hover & Glean. This definition is: “Takes nectar, insects, or berries from plants above ground while hovering.” The book notes that “both primary and secondary techniques may be used to obtain primary food items.”
This pewee nested on the edge of the open area in the forest where I recorded this video. The opening in the canopy was created when part of an old Bigleaf Maple fell. It made the perfect spot for this bird to nest, especially with the exposed, dead branches to perch on.
As it perches, watch it constantly turning its head as it looks for insects. When it spots an insect it will fly out, grab it, and return to the same perch or one nearby. If you listen closely, you can hear the pop of its bill as it snags the insect out of the air (the 4th time it flies from a perch in the video). When it lands it will usually flutter its wings slightly as if readying for the next flight. It will eat small insects in midair and bring back larger prey like dragonflies to eat at its perch. I infrequently see them hover and glean, and I occasionally see them on gravel bars on the river darting around the rocks and gleaning insects.
Source
Ehrlich, Paul R., et al. The Birder’s Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds: Including All Species That Regularly Breed North of Mexico. Simon & Schuster, 1988.
