The Veery is a small North American thrush with a beautiful, spiraling song. This secretive bird lives deep in damp woods, making it challenging to spot, but its resonant melody rings through the trees like a flute at dusk. Read on to learn more fascinating facts about this elusive songster!
What does the Veery look like?
The Veery is a plump thrush with a short tail and legs. It measures 6.3-7.5 inches in length and weighs 1.1-2.2 ounces.
– Plumage: The Veery has rich brown upperparts and pale gray underparts with brown spotting on the breast. Its eyes are surrounded by a prominent whitish eye ring.
– Bill: Its bill is slim, straight, and yellowish.
– Legs and feet: Its legs and feet are pinkish brown.
– Tail: The Veery’s tail is rounded and reddish brown with darker bars.
So with its stocky body, short tail, and eye ring, the Veery has a distinct profile among North American thrushes.
Where does the Veery live?
The Veery inhabits moist, dense forests across much of North America. Here are some key details about its breeding and wintering ranges:
– Breeding range: The Veery breeds across Canada, the northeastern and upper Midwestern United States, and in the Appalachian Mountains.
– Wintering range: It winters in southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
– Preferred habitat: In summer, Veeries favor damp deciduous or mixed forests with dense understory vegetation. They nest on or near the ground. In winter, they live in tropical forests and woodlands.
So this shy bird spends its summers in the dark northern woods before migrating thousands of miles to overwinter in the tropics.
Season | Where Veeries Live |
---|---|
Summer (breeding) | Canada, Northeastern and upper Midwestern U.S., Appalachian Mountains |
Winter | Southern Mexico, Central America, Northern South America |
What does the Veery eat?
The Veery’s diet consists mainly of insects and berries:
– Insects: Beetles, caterpillars, ants, wasps, and others. The Veery finds insects by probing through leaf litter on the forest floor.
– Berries: Eats various berries including raspberries, blueberries, currants, dogwood, and elderberries.
– Other food: May also eat some seeds and snails.
– Foraging: Forages primarily on the ground, but will also pick insects and berries from shrubs and low branches.
So this bird depends on plentiful insects and fruits to fuel its long migration and survive the winter.
Veery Diet
Food Types | Examples |
---|---|
Insects | Beetles, caterpillars, ants, wasps |
Berries | Raspberries, blueberries, currants, dogwood, elderberries |
Other | Seeds, snails |
What is the Veery’s unique song like?
The male Veery has one of the most beautiful songs of any North American bird:
– Description: Its song consists of spiraling descending phrases described as “a series of ethereal, fluty phrases.” The song has an echoing, resonant quality.
– Pitch: The Veery’s descending song covers a wide pitch range, starting high and spiraling lower.
– Pattern: Each song lasts about 2-4 seconds. The birds repeat their songs at intervals of about 4-8 seconds at dawn and dusk.
– Habitat: The Veery’s voice resonates hauntingly through its forest habitat. The echo makes it hard to pinpoint the bird’s location.
You can listen to recordings of the Veery’s magical call online to appreciate this sound of the northern forest.
When and where does the Veery nest?
The Veery nests in forest underbrush from May to August:
– Nest site: Builds an open cup nest on the ground or close to it, concealed amid ferns, logs, stumps, or low shrubs.
– Materials: Constructs nests from dead leaves, strips of bark, stems, moss, and lined with fine grass and roots.
– Clutch: Lays 3-5 pale blue or greenish eggs.
– Incubation: Eggs are incubated for 12-13 days by the female.
– Fledging: Chicks leave the nest at 10-13 days old, can fly short distances by 16-17 days.
– Broods: Veeries produce one brood per season, sometimes two.
By nesting on or near the ground, the Veery relies on camouflage to avoid predators. But this makes its nests susceptible to threats from forest machinery and browsers like deer.
Veery Nesting Facts
Nest Site | Nest Materials | Eggs & Young |
---|---|---|
On ground or near ground | Dead leaves, bark, moss, grass, roots | 3-5 eggs, fledge in 10-13 days |
How does the Veery migrate?
The Veery is a champion migrator, traveling thousands of miles between its breeding and wintering grounds:
– Distance: Migrates 2,000-8,000+ miles between northern forests and southern tropics each way.
– Route: Follows land routes across North America to Central America before making a direct ocean crossing.
– Timing: Migrates north in April-May, south in September-October.
– Speed: Capable of 275 mile flights lasting up to 100 hours nonstop. Flies around 28 mph.
– Hazards: Braves storms, predators, and navigational challenges. Uses star patterns and Earth’s magnetic field to navigate.
The Veery’s epic migration is fueled by hyperphagia, intensive feeding to store fat before the journey. This feat of endurance delivers the Veery from harsh winters to insect-rich summers.
Veery Migration Vital Signs
Distance | Route | Timing | Speed and Endurance |
---|---|---|---|
2,000-8,000+ miles one way | Over land to Central America, then crosses Caribbean Sea | North: April-May South: September-October |
Flies up to 275 miles nonstop, up to 100 hours at ~28 mph |
How has the Veery’s population changed over time?
The Veery has a large range but its population has seen some declines in recent decades:
– Population status: Has a global population of 82 million. The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.
– Historical trends: Increased with forest regrowth during the early 20th century. Underwent declines from the 1960s-1980s.
– Current trends: Declined by 65% between 1970 and 2014, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Habitat loss on wintering grounds may contribute.
– Causes of decline: Loss and fragmentation of damp, wooded breeding habitat. Increased nest predation and brood parasitism near forest edges.
So while still common, the melodious Veery may become a less prominent voice in eastern forests if these trends continue. Protecting breeding and wintering habitats will be key.
Veery Population Changes
Population Status | Historical Trends | Current Declines | Causes |
---|---|---|---|
82 million global population Least Concern status |
Increased early 20th century, declined 1960s-80s | 65% decline from 1970-2014 in North America | Habitat loss, predation, brood parasitism |
What are some fun Veery facts?
Beyond its migratory feats and fluty song, here are some other fun facts that make the Veery special:
– Other names: The Veery is also known as the Wilson’s thrush or the tawny thrush.
– Stealth mode: Walks with a “smooth, gliding gait” and can vanish into its habitat. Even sneezes quietly!
– Color variations: Some Veery populations are ruddier than others. Western birds are more brown, eastern more tawny gray.
– Famous fans: Poet Walt Whitman wrote about the Veery’s “serene” song.
– Mimics: The song of the Western wood pewee is often likened to a Veery.
– Long flight theorist: One Veery banded in Toronto was recaptured in Brazil, 7,000+ miles away!
So in this reclusive bird, we find one of nature’s most sublime voices and a world record-setting migrator. The Veery offers ample inspiration if you listen for its lyrical song in the dim evening woods.
Conclusion
The Veery thrush may be difficult to spot, but its spiraling song and epic migration make it a standout among North America’s avifauna. This elusive bird navigates thousands of miles between boreal forests and tropical wintering grounds each year. Males sing an echoing fluty song to attract mates and defend territories in the damp northern woods where females build well-concealed, ground-level nests. While still common, habitat loss has caused Veery populations to decline markedly since the 1970s. Protecting its breeding and wintering grounds will be key to preserving populations of this long-distance migrant into the future. By learning more about the Veery and advocating for its habitats, we can ensure this migratory wonder continues gracing the continent’s forests with its haunting melody each spring.