Veery

Catharus fuscescens

Turdidae

Veery in Central Park by the Ramble Stone Arch by Rhododendrites is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. — Round head and body

Veery by Wildreturn is licensed under CC BY 2.0 — Uniformly cinnamon brown above

Wood Thrush, with rove beetle by Kelly Colgan Azar is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 — ... bold spots of Wood Thrush

Veery by Wildreturn is licenced under CC BY 2.0. — Forages for insects in litter layer and ...

Catharus fuscescens by wildreturn is licensed under CC BY 2.0. — Likes to be near water

Veery nest with eggs by Mike McCarthy, Seney Natural History Association is licensed under CC 2.0. — Clutch of 1-5 eggs; ground nest hidden by vegetation

Veery nest with chicks (Catharus fuscescens) by Albertherring / Seney Natural History Association is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. — Newly hatched chicks

Veery by Melissa McMasters is licensed under CC BY 2.0. — After breeding, frequents forest edge

Veery by Courtney Celley/USFWS, Midwest Region is available through Public Domain. — Ventures outside of forest on migration

Bird data available for Salter Grove from 2002-through mid 2025 indicate that the Veery has only been sighted three times during Spring migration in 2020, and 2023. Its cinnamon brown upperparts and blurry spots on its breast blend beautifully into the undergrowth along the Pond Trail and the Upland Trail of the Park. It is not the easiest migrant to spot.

Any individuals sighted in the park would have been recovering from a long nocturnal flight. Radio tracking studies have revealed that migrating Veerys may travel as far as 160 miles from sunset until shortly before sunrise the following day at an altitude over 6,000 feet. By the time they arrive at Salter Grove, they will have travelled a total of four to five thousand miles from wintering grounds in central or southern Brazil.

The Veery prefers to breed near moist habitats within deciduous forests, or deciduous forest mixed with conifers across southern Canada and the northern United States. Like other thrushes, it sings a captivating and haunting song on its breeding ground. Like other thrushes the Veery feeds mostly on insects and other invertebrates during the breeding season, switching to fruits and berries in late summer and fall.

In the late 1800's it was an abundant summer resident in Rhode Island. More recent studies indicate that populations are currently stable in forested areas throughout the state. However, it is expected that the warming climate will shift breeding populations northward into Northern Canada and Alaska. Deforestation in the Amazon Basin has caused decline in populations that winter in the affected areas.

For more information:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Veery
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/veery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veery
https://www.massaudubon.org/our-work/birds-wildlife/bird-conservation-research/breeding-bird-atlases/find-a-bird?id=4752
Clarkson, C. E., Osenkowski, J. E., Steen, V. A., Duhaime, R. J., and Paton, W.C. (2023) The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Rhode Island. Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish and Wildlife. pp. 306-307.
Howe, Jr., R.H. and Sturtevant, E. (1899) The Birds of Rhode Island. p. 86.