Multiple Male Feeders at Nests of the Veery

Abstract

We present the first documentation of nestling care by multiple male feeders at nests of the Veery (Catharus fuscescens) in a Mid-Atlantic Piedmont forest in northern Delaware. This is only the second confirmation of this behavior in a Nearctic-neotropical migrant songbird. Five of six nests (83%) were attended by a male that concurrently fed nestlings at a second or third nest. Three of six nests (50%) were attended by one female and two males. No females were observed at more than one nest. We monitored >140 Veery nests at our study site since 1998, and believe the dense breeding habitat and single-brooded nature of the Veery have inhibited our ability to confirm this behavior prior to 2011. Our data suggest this behavior is widespread in our study population.