29 10 20 30 9 19 29 
MAY 
15 
JUN 
20 10 20 3 9 
APR MAY 
19 
JUN 
- 31.—Migration seasons of the veery in different areas of the state ( 
CENTRAL 
29 10 20 30 9 19 29 
o 19 29 1052 Ome 9 Lo ene 29 
JUL AUG SEP 
see Fig. 1). Spring and fall graph lines (1967-1970) show the highest daily 
each 2 days. Star symbols represent counts made in other years or by other observers. Dot symbols represent counts made in west-central Illinois; 
hout dots represent the east. Dashed graph line (north) represents the cumulative counts of birds made by Benjamin T. Gault between 1875 and 
inly in Du Page County, and shows the long-term peaks and range of migration dates. 
heek and Swainson’s thrushes. Most of the veery 
tion is through Illinois by September 20. There are 
Jctober records, the latest being October 13 for the 
Ford 1956), and our specimen from a central Illinois 
on tower, killed the night of October 8-9, 1968. 
with the gray-cheeked thrush, we saw few veeries in 
in comparison with spring (Fig. 31). This was also 
Derience of William Dreuth (Clark & Nice 1950), 
njamin Gault (Fig. 31). In northern and central IIli- 
"Saw 6~7 veeries in the spring to every 1 in the fall, 
he south the ratio was about 20 boul: 
Ties are less common than Swainson’s and gray- 
I thrushes in Illinois, and this population difference 
cted in the tower kills (Graber 1968). Only about 1 
of the birds killed at central Illinois television tow- 
eptember were veeries. 
Specimen Data 
We have examined 41 fall and 34 spring specimens of 
veeries from Illinois, but no Illinois breeding specimens. 
Among the migrants there are two color extremes, red and 
grayish, with virtually complete color intergradation and 
no consistent size difference between the two. The gray 
specimens well match even the extreme gray specimens 
from the range of the western race Catharus fuscescens sali- 
cicola, and the red specimens are similar to specimens from 
the range of the eastern race C. f. fuscescens. There are few 
specimens of the eastern race from Illinois, while salicicola 
is well represented. In the fall probably all specimens are 
best ascribed to salicicola, with about 5 percent showing 
intermediacy towards fuscescens. In the spring most of the 
birds are salicicola, but about one-third are of the eastern 
form. 
33 
