
BIRDS, almost as much as weeds, have cool names. It doesn't get much cooler than the little guy pictured above: the Greater Pewee.
At best a smidgen over 7" long, he is a gray flycatcher who comes up from Mexican pine forests in the summer into southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. I'm hoping that, eventually, he'll make his way up into southern Utah so I can see him.
These guys are aggressive, both in how they defend their nests and how they catch insects. A Greater Pewee will sit upon prominent posts, alert for insects. When he spots prey, he darts out, nabs it in mid-flight, and returns in an arc to the same or a nearby perch.
The Greater Pewee has a beautiful call, a whistled "Ho-say ma-ree-ah."
Why would anyone want to keep this little Mexican from immigrating?
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