The smoke-colored pewee (Contopus fumigatus ) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. The species is characterized by a uniform dusky-grey plumage.
Smoke-colored pewees are found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. Their natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forests.
The smoke-colored pewee is a grey bird with a slight crest on its head. Their beaks are orange with a black culmen. Mature birds are 16-17cm in size and 18-20g in weight. This species displays no sexual dimorphism, meaning both sexes share the same plumage. Their feet are anisodactyl, therefore three digits on their foot are forward and one is back. This is the most common foot type in perching birds.
The smoke-colored pewee is endemic to the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forests. Birds are typically found at 1000-2500m, reaching as high as 3000m in the Andes and as low as sea-level in Southwest Ecuador. Their habitat geography ranges from mountainous regions to foothills, but they avoid flat lowlands..
Smoke-colored Pewees are typically resident; they do not migrate.
The smoke-colored pewee is often found perched on small branches at middle elevations. This differentiates it from the closely related Blackish pewee, which is slightly smaller and perches closer to the ground.
The smoke-colored pewee primarily consumes insects that they obtain through sallying. Sallying refers to a foraging technique commonly used by flycatchers, where a bird will catch insects from the air but return to a perch to feed. Birds often return to the same perch between each feeding session.
The smoke-colored species is categorized as a species of least concern. The bird can be found in almost every protected reserve of the Andean range. Its habitat range is large and spread out throughout South America, and the species is generally tolerant of habitat disturbance. The smoke-colored pewee is categorized as fairly common to common.
