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Veery - (Catharus fuscescens)
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May
13, 2010 - Today we were very fortunate to see a
wonderful bird. The Veery is named for its
mysterious, sweet voice that spirals downward
making a veeer sound. His odd name, of course,
comes from an imitation of his sweet
voice. Mostly found on the forest
floor, he is considered the secretive
thrush.
When I first saw him hurrying
down a newly dug garden patch to hide under some
nearby bushes, I thought his physique, beak and
almost eye-ring, reminded me of a robin. The
chest markings were a little like a fledgling,
but the cinnamon upper body was definitely not
the color of a robin. Thus began the
search through our bird library. After
about five books, it was decided it might be a
veery. Still more books, revealing better
pictures, suggested we were indeed lucky to
watch and photograph the veery, a bird that most
people have heard, but may never have seen. |
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Size:
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Length: 6.5-7.5 in
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Weight: 1.1-2 oz |
Wingspan: 11-12in |
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ID:
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Male: Reddish brown upperparts;
indistinct grayish eye ring; black upper
mandible and lower mandible creamy pink
with black tip; face grayish brown with
light markings; faintly spotted tawny
throat bordered by brown line; upper
chest also tawny with faint spots fading
to grayish white underparts and flanks
with faint spots; pink legs and feet
anisodactylous (three toes point forward
and one toe points backward)
Female:Same as male
Juvenile: Similar to adult but browner
and has buff tips to wing coverts.
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Habitat:
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Moist mixed woodlands with dense
understory of shrubs and vegetation
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Diet:
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Insects, larvae,
berries, fruit, spiders, worms,
invertebrate. Gleans from ground
overturning leaves with beak, or swoops
from low perches |
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Monogamous and
solitary; 1 brood per year
Local Breeding Period: Early to late
May
Nests:Female builds bulky nest of bark,
twigs and moss and lined with weeds and
leaves; placed on dry ground or low
shrub
Eggs: 3-6 glossy pale blue with
usually unmarked; mostly female
incubates 10-14 days
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless,
naked, eyes closed) and stay in nest
10-12 days; fed by both parents
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Social Activities:
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Somewhat shy; usually solitary or in
pairs. When startled either flies or
faces his enemy with his spotted breast
forward hoping to appear part of the
foliage. Agitation may cause wing
flicking and the raising of a small
crest.
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Range:
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Southern Canada to Northern Us
following Appalachian Mountains in East
and limited spread as far south as
Colorado.
Migrates at night; believed to have
better vision in lower light than most
birds. Winters in central Brazil.
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Vocalization:
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Very pleasant descending vee-ur,
vee-ur, veer, veer; call is sharp veer
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| Sighted in our
Backyard: |
May 13, 2010 - Since
he is rarely seen, we may never actually
spot him again, but we'll be listening
for his famous song. |
| Lifespan: |
Up to 10 years |
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