Veery
Veery has declined: down 44% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Veery
The Veery (Catharus fuscescens) is a North American member of the Thrushes (Turdidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 6–11 in long (15–28 cm) — a medium songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,004 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 36 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Turdidae · Forest birds
Notable Veery Trends
No notable trend signals for Veery. See the full index history below.
Veery Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Veery is projected to fall about 42% by 2029 — from 1.5 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.87 (95% range 0.43–1.3). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±30.4%, with 60% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.97 | 0.53 | 1.4 |
| 2026 | 0.94 | 0.50 | 1.4 |
| 2027 | 0.92 | 0.48 | 1.4 |
| 2028 | 0.89 | 0.45 | 1.3 |
| 2029 | 0.87 | 0.43 | 1.3 |
Where the Veery Is Detected
BBS routes recording Veery, sized by most recent count.
Veery Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Alaska | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Colorado | -87% | 1970 | 18 |
| Connecticut | +16% | 1968 | 20 |
| Delaware | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Georgia | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Idaho | +17% | 1972 | 26 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Indiana | -21% | 1981 | 10 |
| Kentucky | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Maine | -44% | 1968 | 77 |
| Maryland | -69% | 1968 | 27 |
| Massachusetts | +51% | 1968 | 30 |
| Michigan | -10% | 1968 | 101 |
| Minnesota | +12% | 1969 | 64 |
| Montana | -66% | 1970 | 42 |
| Nebraska | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Hampshire | -58% | 1968 | 26 |
| New Jersey | +872% | 1970 | 22 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New York | -39% | 1968 | 126 |
| North Carolina | +162% | 1977 | 14 |
| North Dakota | +9% | 1969 | 9 |
| Ohio | +112% | 1968 | 20 |
| Oregon | -83% | 1971 | 11 |
| Pennsylvania | +93% | 1968 | 113 |
| Rhode Island | +15% | 1968 | 5 |
| South Dakota | -30% | 1994 | 5 |
| Tennessee | +147% | 1991 | 4 |
| Utah | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Vermont | -43% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | 39× | 1977 | 23 |
| Washington | -62% | 1970 | 33 |
| West Virginia | 11× | 1976 | 21 |
| Wisconsin | +12% | 1968 | 85 |
| Wyoming | -6% | 1974 | 30 |
Veery Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | -62% | 1970 | 32 |
| Northern Rockies | -70% | 1970 | 91 |
| Prairie Potholes | +23% | 1969 | 20 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +8% | 1968 | 126 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -30% | 1968 | 78 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -55% | 1968 | 155 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -66% | 1970 | 26 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +57% | 1978 | 18 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -75% | 1981 | 13 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +17% | 1968 | 122 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +37% | 1968 | 212 |
| Piedmont | +111% | 1969 | 36 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +43% | 1968 | 72 |
Veery Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 44% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.