The northern waterthrush is a species of ground-feeding migratory New World warbler of the genus Parkesia. It breeds in the northern part of North America, in Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States; it winters in Florida, Central America, the West Indies, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. It is a rare vagrant to other South American countries and to western Europe. Its closest relative is the Louisiana waterthrush.
Region
North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America
Typical Environment
Breeds across boreal and mixed forests of Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States, favoring bogs, swamps, and shaded streams. During migration and winter it occupies mangroves, forested wetlands, riparian thickets, and shaded ponds from the southeastern U.S. through Central America and the Greater Antilles to northern South America. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe and parts of South America beyond its usual range. It typically keeps close to water and dense understory cover.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The northern waterthrush is one of only two waterthrushes in North America, often distinguished by its bold buff eyebrow and heavily streaked underparts. It constantly bobs its tail while walking along stream edges, a classic behavior that helps with identification. In winter it is strongly associated with mangroves and shaded wetlands, where it forages methodically along muddy margins.
South Padre Island - Texas
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct
Social Behavior
Pairs defend linear territories along streams and bog edges in the breeding season. The nest is a well-concealed, often domed cup placed on or near the ground by roots, banks, or fallen logs; the female builds while the male sings nearby. Clutches typically contain 4–5 eggs, and both parents feed the young. Characteristic tail- and body-bobbing occurs while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
A loud, ringing, and accelerating series of clear, emphatic notes that often rises and falls in pitch. Calls include a sharp, metallic chink or spwik given in alarm or while moving through dense cover.
Plumage
Brownish-olive above with buff to yellowish underparts heavily streaked with dark brown; throat also streaked. Broad buff supercilium contrasts with darker crown; underparts show dense, even streaking.
Diet
Feeds primarily on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates such as mayflies, caddisflies, midges, beetles, spiders, snails, and small crustaceans. It occasionally takes small fish or tadpoles and will consume other larvae found in leaf litter and along muddy margins. Foraging involves deliberate walking, gleaning from surfaces, probing wet leaf litter, and occasional short sallies to snatch prey.
Preferred Environment
Shaded streambanks, bogs, and swamp forests during breeding; mangroves, riparian thickets, and wet second-growth in winter. Most feeding occurs at the water’s edge, on exposed roots, rocks, and muddy banks with dense cover nearby.
