Guide to North American Birds
Conservation status Nests frequently parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds, probably reducing nesting success. Surveys suggest that numbers of Veeries may be declining.
Family Thrushes
Habitat Damp deciduous woods. For breeding, favors dense understory and leafy low growth near water. Surrounding habitat usually deciduous woods, sometimes mixed or coniferous woods, or open country on northern Great Plains. In mature forest, avoids areas with little understory, concentrating along streams or other openings. During migration, found mainly in deciduous woods. Winters in undergrowth of lowland tropical forest.
In moist leafy woods across the northern states and southern Canada, the breezy spiraling song of this thrush is a common sound in summer. An observer who waits patiently inside the woods may see the Veery itself, bounding across the forest floor with long springy hops or perching quietly in the undergrowth. Staying with us for less than half the year, the bird spends the balance of its time living in the shadowy undergrowth of tropical rain forest.

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Feeding Behavior

Forages mostly by hopping about on the ground or in low vegetation. Sometimes flips dead leaves over with bill; often hovers briefly to take insects from foliage, and may make short flights to catch insects in mid-air. Also watches from low perch and drops to ground for items. Feeds on berries up in shrubs and trees.


Eggs

4, sometimes 3-5. Pale greenish blue, usually unmarked, sometimes spotted with brown. Incubation is apparently by female only, about 10-14 days. Young: Both parents feed nestlings; female may spend much time brooding them at first. Young leave nest about 10-12 days after hatching. Some pairs may raise 2 broods per year.


Young

Both parents feed nestlings; female may spend much time brooding them at first. Young leave nest about 10-12 days after hatching. Some pairs may raise 2 broods per year.

Diet

Mostly insects and berries. Diet is mainly insects during breeding season, including beetles, ants, small wasps, caterpillars, crickets, and others, also spiders, centipedes, snails; rarely eats small frogs or salamanders. Berries and small fruit may be majority of diet in late summer and fall. Winter diet poorly known.


Nesting

Male arrives first on breeding grounds and defends nesting territory by singing. Courtship involves male chasing female, both birds calling back and forth. Nest: Typically placed on or near the ground in dense forest. Nests above ground are usually in base of shrub or sapling, less than 5' up; nests on ground are often placed against stump or log, or in clump of grass or weeds. Nest (built by female) has foundation of dead leaves, cup made of weeds, twigs, fine strips of bark, lined with rootlets and bark fibers.

Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
Learn more about these drawings.

Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds

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Migration

Migrates mostly at night. Winters east of the Andes in South America. Those nesting in west apparently migrate east in fall before turning south, as they are virtually unrecorded in the southwest south of breeding areas.

  • All Seasons - Common
  • All Seasons - Uncommon
  • Breeding - Common
  • Breeding - Uncommon
  • Winter - Common
  • Winter - Uncommon
  • Migration - Common
  • Migration - Uncommon

See a fully interactive migration map for this species on the Bird Migration Explorer.

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Songs and Calls

Song a rich downward spiral with an ethereal quality; call note a descending whew.
Audio © Lang Elliott, Bob McGuire, Kevin Colver, Martyn Stewart and others.
Learn more about this sound collection.