Veery
Veery | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Turdidae |
Genus: | Catharus |
Species: | C. fuscescens
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Binomial name | |
Catharus fuscescens (Stephens, 1817)
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Veery range
Breeding range
Wintering range
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Synonyms | |
Hylocichla fuscescens |
The veery (Catharus fuscescens) is a small North American
The specific name fuscescens is Neo-Latin for "blackish", from Latin fuscus, "dark".[7] The English name may imitate the call.[8]
Description
This species measures 16–19.5 cm (6.3–7.7 in) in length. Its mass is 26–39 g (0.92–1.38 oz), exceptionally up to 54 g (1.9 oz). The wingspan averages 28.5 cm (11.2 in).[9] Each wing measures 8.9–10.4 cm (3.5–4.1 in), the bill measures 1.2–1.9 cm (0.47–0.75 in) and the tarsus is 2.7–3.25 cm (1.06–1.28 in).[10] The veery shows the characteristic under-wing stripe of Catharus thrushes. Adults are mainly light brown on the upperparts. The underparts are white; the breast is light tawny with faint brownish spots. Veeries have pink legs and a poorly defined eye ring. Birds in the eastern portions of the species' breeding range are more cinnamon on the upper parts; western birds are more olive-brown. In the east, the veery is distinguished easily by its coloration; distinguishing western veeries from other Catharus thrushes is more difficult.[11]
This bird has a breezy, downward-spiraling, flute-like song, often given from a low and concealed perch. The most common call is a harsh, descending vee-er, which gave the bird its name. Other calls include a chuckle, a sharp and low "wuck", and a slow wee-u.[12] Veeries have been shown to decrease the rate and duration of singing when exposed to barred owl playback, possibly to decrease the chance of predation.[13]
Ecology and behavior
Breeding and wintering habitat
The breeding habitat is humid
Feeding
They forage on the forest floor, flipping leaves to uncover insects; they may fly up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects and berries. Insects are a main food source during the breeding season, while fruit and berries may compose most of the diet during the late summer and fall.[14]
Nesting
They make a cup nest on the ground or near the base of a shrub. The nest consists of three structural layers, including outer, inner, and nest lining layers.[16] The outer layer consists of leaves and supporting branches, while the inner layer consists of material woven together.[16] Nest lining consists of flexible material such as bark, roots, and seeds.[16] The use of different parts of 27 plant species, including invasive/alien plants, has been documented.[16] Nests contain three to five greenish-blue eggs that may or may not have brown spots.[14] The eggs are incubated for 10 to 14 days by the female, while both parents feed nestlings.[14] Young Veeries can leave the nest between 10 and 12 days after they hatch.[14]
This bird has been displaced in some parts of its range by the related wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). However, a case of interspecific parental care of a veery nest by a wood thrush has been documented in which a wood thrush provided more parental care to the veery nestlings than did the parents, possibly due to sexual solicitation by the female veery.[17] Veeries are occasional hosts for the eggs of brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Veery males have been found to engage in behaviors similar to the polygynandrous Bicknell's thrush in that males may feed nestlings at more than one nest and there may be multiple male feeders at nests.[18][19]
Threats
Threats to the veery include nest parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds, climate change, and alteration of Amazonian lowland forests.[14][15] It is suggested that veeries are in decline, and breeding bird survey trend results indicate that veery populations declined across most of its range from 1966 to 2013.[14][20] There have been concerns that the use of invasive/alien plant parts may decrease nesting success, but negative impacts have not been documented.[16] Other potential threats include the loss of woodland habitat, squirrels, chipmunks, and raptors.[21]
Footnotes
- . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Winker & Pruett (2006)
- ^ "Thrushes". All About Birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ "Wilson's thrush". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- ^ "John J. Audubon's Birds of America". 2014-11-25.
- ^ ""Newfoundland" Veery | Rouge River Bird Observatory". www.rrbo.org. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ "Veery". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ "Veery".
- ISBN 978-0691088525pp. 305–7.
- ^ "Veery".
- ^ Alderfer, Jonathan (2006). National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: Pennsylvania. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Books. p. 179.
- S2CID 9805378.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Veery". Audubon. November 13, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
- ^ S2CID 86528448.
- ^ S2CID 85096180.
- S2CID 86166074.
- S2CID 86219388.
- S2CID 85965468.
- ^ "Patuxent Bird Identification and Breeding Bird Survey Results". www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ "Illinois Natural History Survey Veery". wwx.inhs.illinois.edu. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
References
- Winker, Kevin & Pruett, Christin L. (2006): "Seasonal migration, speciation, and morphological convergence in the avian genus Catharus (Turdidae)." DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2006)123[1052:SMSAMC]2.0.CO;2
External links
- Veery - Catharus fuscescens - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Veery Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Veery - Catharus fuscescens - photo with audio clip at eNature.com
- "Veery media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Veery photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)