Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 4.7–5.5 in
12–14 cm - Wingspan
- 8.3–9.4 in
21–24 cm - Weight
- 0.5–0.9 oz
13–25 g
Other Names
- Paruline des ruisseaux (French)
- Verdin charquero (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Northern Waterthrush is territorial in both winter and summer. On the breeding grounds the male proclaims its territory with its loud, ringing song. On the wintering grounds it uses its "chink" calls, together with chasing and fighting, to keep out intruders.
- The Louisiana and Northern waterthrushes are very similar species whose breeding ranges overlap slightly. Their songs and their habitats, while similar, differ significantly. The pitch of the beginning notes of the Louisiana's song usually descend, just as does the hilly stream that is its preferred habitat. The Northern Waterthrush prefers bogs and waters that are flat, just as its beginning notes stay on the same pitch.
Habitat
Forest
Breeds in thickets near slow-moving streams, ponds, swamps, and bogs; in migration and winter, uses a variety of wooded habitats, generally near water, often in mangroves.
Food
Insects
Insects. Also other arthropods, snails, and occasionally small fish.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–6 eggs
- Egg Description
- White with dark spots and scrawls concentrated around large end.
Nest Description
Open cup of moss and leaves, lined with fine plant stems, rootlets, hair, and moss. May construct entranceway of whole dead leaves. Nest placed in small hollow or cavity under fallen log, or within roots of an upturned tree.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Feeds mainly on ground, wades in shallow water.
Conservation
Least Concern
Common and widespread.
Credits
- Eaton, S. W. 1995. Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis). In The Birds of North America, No. 182 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.