So, what is a veery? It's a small, North American thrush species. It goes by a few other names: Wilson's thrush and tawny thrush but I just enjoy the sound of veery which comes from the sound of their calls.
They are small birds with a length of 6.3-7.7in with a weight ranging from 0.92-1.38oz, although it's possible for them to grow to 1.9oz. They have an underwing stripe which is characteristic of their genus. Adults are light brown on the top with white, spotted bellies. They have pink legs and an eye ring although it's hard to see.
Note: In the first photo you get a side profile and back. The second you get a closer look at the face. The third is a shot of the back, highlighting those tail feathers and puffy chest. The final photo shows a bit of the legs and white tummy.
There are differences between the eastern and western veeries. The eastern variety is more cinnamon brown while the western types are more olive. Because of this coloration difference eastern veeries are more easily identified against other Catharus thrushes.
The veery's ideal breeding habitat is humid deciduous forests across southern Canada and the northern United States which pretty perfectly describes my area. They like dense growth and dense understory near a water source which lines up with both of my sightings. In the winter, they migrate to Eastern South America.
They forage on the forest floor, flipping over leaves and occasionally flying up to capture insects in flight. They mainly eat insects during breeding season and fruit and berries during the late summer and Fall.
Their nests are either on the ground or very close to it. They've been documented to have used parts of 27 different plant species in their nests! They lay 3-5 greenish-blue eggs, sometimes with brown spots. The mother incubates the eggs for 10-14 days then both parents help out with feeding the young. Young veeries leave the nest around 10-12 days after they hatch!
Threats to these birds include parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds, climate change, and alteration of the Amazon forests where they go for the winter. There have been concerns that the use of invasive plants in their nests may impact their nesting success but there isn't enough information on the topic yet. Other threats include loss of woodland habitat, squirrels, chipmunks, and raptors.
Birds are something I'm practicing and I'm feeling happy with my progress so far. They flit around a lot and it can be hard to track them down in the viewfinder even when I'm looking right at them outside of it. Practice makes perfect though and I'm going to keep trying to get shots like these!
I loved taking photos of this tiny bird! The first one, the darker photos, was more elusive and harder to photograph. The second one, the brighter green scenery, was almost playful. It was walking ahead of us on the path and would stop and wait. She was very polite and let me take some photos as long as I didn't get too close. Then, we let her be and completed our loop. When we came back to where she was she followed us again, flitting along the forest floor and jumping onto branches almost as if she was saying goodbye. As always I hope you enjoyed and learned something. Until next time!
Yours,
Jade
