THE VEERY 
BY T. GILBERT PEARSON 
The National Association of Audubon Societies 
Educational Leaflet No. 87 
The Thrushes are rated very high as song-birds, and each has a song 
so distinct in itself that once perfectly heard it need never be forgotten 
nor confused with the song of any other. One of America’s most 
popular members of this family is the Tawny or Wilson’s Thrush, 
usually known as the Veery. It was called Wilson’s Thrush by Prince 
Lucien Bonaparte, who was a great admirer of Alexander Wilson, and 
the editor of his “Ornithology.” The name “Veery” is an imitation 
of its ringing calls. To the novice in bird-study the various 
A VEERY MOTHER BROODING HER EGGS 
small Thrushes are somewhat confusing. The Veery has often been 
mistaken for the Wood Thrush, despite the difference that the latter has 
distinct rounded black spots on its breast, and the Veery has small and 
somewhat indistinct arrow-shaped spots on its breast and sides. 
There is no mistaking the Veery ’s song, however. It is one of the 
most melodious of the northern woodlands, and during the spring migra- 
tion is frequently heard on still days in the forests and groves of the 
South. It begins singing shortly after its arrival in May and usually 
stops early in July. There have been many attempts to describe the 
Veery’s song, and numerous writers have tried to spell it out in words. 
