50 eH EH -A;U DUB’ O:Ne BUI Er ta 
NESTING DISTRIBUTION 
OF THE VEERY IN ILLINOIS 
by JEAN W. GRABER & RICHARD Ww. GRABER 
Wildlife Research Section 
Illinois Natural History Survey 
In our summary of the literature on 
Illinois thrushes (Graber, et. al. 
1970). “ill. NataeHist. surnves Biol, 
Notes 75:32,34), we indicated the 
southern limit of breeding for the 
veery (Catharus fuscescens) to be 
in southern Cook and Ogle coun- 
ties, and we questioned the signi- 
ficance of two old records for cen- 
tral Illinois (Lacon and Peoria). 
In the course of recent fieldwork, 
we found that the breeding range 
of the veery in Illinois extends at 
least as far south as Iroquois and 
Lee counties (see map), where the 
species nests in a relict postglacial 
habitat. 
In Iroquois and adjacent Kanka- 
kee County where the veery oc- 
curred, there were two dominant 
natural habitats: open flat areas 
with somewhat marshy grassland, 
and adjacent sand hills stabilized 
by oak woods. In the lowest wood- 
ed areas between sand hills were 
rather dark, damp oak thickets 
with a patchy floor covering of 
low-bush blueberry (Vaccinium 
angustifolium). This plant forms a 
dense ground cover about 8-12 
inches high in patches 25 feet or 
more in diameter. 
In this habitat veeries are not 
uncommon, and in about two hours 
of searching on June 23, 1972, we 
saw at least three pairs and found 
a nest in Kankakee County just 
north of the Iroquois County line 
(Fig. 1). The nest was very close 
to the ground in a mat of blue- 
berry and contained two robust 
nestlings, one veery and one cow- 
bird, both about 6-7 days old. 
Both adults were feeding these 
young birds and were very voci- 
ferous, scolding in the vicinity of 
the nest. The characteristic scold 
note for which our phonetic inter- 
pretation is ‘“‘pee-oort,”’ with rising 
inflection and emphasis on the 
second syllable, was heard even 
more frequently than the song. 
This call sounds exactly like the 
calls heard from veeries in migra- 
tion. 
After observing the apparent as- 
sociation of veeries with the sand- 
soil blueberry cover, we made in- 
quiry of Dr. Robert A. Evers, bot- 
anist of the Illinois Natural History 
Survey, who recalled an old record 
for the blueberry in Lee County, 
about 5 miles south and 2 east of 
Amboy. 
On June 30, and again on July 
6, we visited this Lee County area 
and found habitat somewhat sim- 
ilar to that in Iroquois and Kanka- 
kee counties. The soil was sandy, 
and sand hills were covered with 
predominantly oak forest, which 
was richer and more mesic than 
that in Iroquois and Kankakee 
counties. Low areas in the Lee 
County forest held small lagoons or 
marches, with dense dark thickets 
at their margins. Here, though we 
found no blueberries, were at least 
two singing male veeries in an area 
no more than one hundred yards in 
length. Several other sections niear- 
by contain similar habitat. 
The southernmost veery habitat 
in Illinois is similar in certain 
physical aspects to the cedar bog 
habitat of the species in coniferous 
