Veery Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesVeery
Adult
Medium-sized thrush with a plump body and a round head. Uniformly bright cinnamon-brown above with indistinct spotting on the chest and pale underparts.
© Drew Weber / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 16, 2018Adult
Typically found in forest understory or foraging in leaf litter.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, May 08, 2011Not all videos have sound
Adult
Plump thrush with a round head and small, thin bill. Cinnamon-brown above with faint spotting on a creamy-colored throat.
© Andy Eckerson / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 05, 2018Adult
Plump-bodied thrush. Cinnamon-brown above with faint spotting on a creamy colored breast.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 03, 2016Adult
A medium-sized thrush with bright cinnamon-brown head upperparts and white underparts with indistinct spotting on the chest.
© Dan O'Brien / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, June 26, 2023Not all videos have sound
Adult
Spotting on the breast is often stronger on more northern breeders. Note brown mustache stripe and grayish flanks.
© George Chiu / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 11, 2018Habitat
Breeds in rich deciduous woodlands and forests with well-developed understory.
© Scott Stafford / Macaulay LibraryDistrict of Columbia, May 04, 2020Similar SpeciesHermit Thrush
Adult
Hermit Thrushes have a cinnamon tail that contrasts with a duller brown back unlike Veeries which are uniformly cinnamon-brown. They also habitually quickly raise and slowly lowering their tail; no other Catharus thrush does this.
© Yves Gauthier (Mtl) / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, April 18, 2014Similar SpeciesSwainson's Thrush
Adult (Olive-backed)
Swainson’s Thrushes are typically darker olive-brown on the back and tail (except on the West Coast) than Veeries. They have a large buffy eyering and bolder, better defined spots on the breast which Veeries lack.
© Shawn Billerman / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, May 14, 2016Similar SpeciesGray-cheeked Thrush
Adult/immature
Gray-cheeked Thrushes are grayer brown overall, lacking the Veery’s warm reddish-brown tones.
© Dick Dionne / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 26, 2014Similar SpeciesBicknell's Thrush
Adult
Bicknell's Thrushes are more grayish brown than the cinnamon-brown colored Veery. They also have more distinct spotting on the breast than Veeries.
© Tom Johnson / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, May 11, 2016Similar SpeciesWood Thrush
Adult
Wood Thrushes are bigger and plumper than a Veery, with much bolder spotting on the chest and belly.
© Margaret Viens / Macaulay LibraryMaine, May 13, 2015Similar SpeciesBrown Thrasher
Adult
Brown Thrashers are considerably larger and lankier, with a longer bill, longer tail, yellow eyes, and extensive black streaking below compared to the plump, short-tailed, and small-billed Veery.
© Nathan Dubrow / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, April 19, 2016Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Thrushes and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Turdidae)
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