Bird of the Month: Veery
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
A thrush which favors young, wet woodland, the Veery is a retiring bird with an ethereal song that is most often heard well before the bird is seen.
The Veery is at home in dense, moist, leafy undergrowth near water. In Washington it is found primarily in riparian zones on the eastern slope of the Cascades from May to August. It arrives following a long migration from southern Brazil and completes its breeding cycle within four months. Upon arrival in the breeding area the female builds a nest on or near the ground often near a stump or clump of grass, deposits four pale greenish eggs, and then incubates them for about two weeks. Both parents will feed the nestlings, but the female will spend time brooding them until they leave the nest in 10-12 more days. It is amazing that within this short time some pairs can have a second brood (Kaufman).
NAMED FOR ITS SONG
The common name Veery is from the bird’s song which is transcribed as veer or vee-ur typically sung on a spiraling downward scale veeerr, veeerr, veeerr (Alderfer). It has been described as ethereal with a metallic sound which resonates as if it was sung into a pipe (Heckscher et al.). You can hear sound recordings of the Veery at the Macaulay Library.
Some care is needed in the Pacific Northwest when trying to identify a Veery when it is not singing. Western Veery have a darker rusty back than the brighter rufous eastern Veery and can resemble the “Russet-backed” form of Swainson’s Thrush (C. swainsoni ). Other field marks can be helpful to separate the two. The Veery has a narrow and sometimes partial eye ring while the Swainson’s has a clear, buffy eye ring. The Veery “looks like the spots bled when the bird was put in the wash” (Dunne).
Veery
Scientific Name: Catharus fuscescens
Length: 7”
Wingspan: 12”
Weight: 1.1oz (31g)
AOU Alpha Code: VEER
LONG-DISTANCE MIGRANT
Virtually all Veery spend the winter in South America in the same kind of leafy undergrowth in which they breed. Data collected from some Veery from British Columbia using miniature radio tracking devices suggest that because Veery avoid the southwestern United States in both spring and fall, they first migrate eastward toward the Gulf of Mexico and then south as they traverse Mexico and Columbia on their way to their wintering destination in the forests of Southern Brazil.
There they join resident populations of laughing-thrushes which are also currently in the genus Catharus, the name for which is from the Greek katharos meaning physical clean or spotless, referring to the clear plumage of these birds (Holloway). There are a total of 13 species of thrushes in this Western Hemisphere genus. Five of them migrate to North America: Bicknell’s, Hermit, Gray-cheeked, and Swainson’s Thrushes, and the Veery. The eight tropical forest Laughing-thrushes are resident in Mexico, Costa Rica, and several South American countries. The species identifier for the Veery fluscescens, is from the Latin fuscus for dusky or dark colored, referring to the color of its plumage especially if seen in dark understory where it forages.
CONSERVATION
Because Veery require forest with a dense understory for both nesting and wintering habitat, healthy forests on both ends of their migration are vital. In the north, forest fragmentation and conversion of riparian areas for other uses is a threat to Veery breeding territory. Ongoing cutting of the Amazon is a related threat to Veery wintering grounds. However, despite some declines in population Veery is currently considered secure. Nevertheless, its conservation status is recommended for re-evaluation. (Heckscher et al.). Veery provides a good example of a migratory bird species for which coordination of conservation efforts in both the breeding and wintering grounds are needed
Photo credit Bill B Original. References available upon request from amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org.