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Northern Waterthrush

Silhouette WarblersWarblers
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Parulidae

Basic Description

The Northern Waterthrush is often an unseen singer whose rich, sweet whistles lure listeners into its attractive habitats, the wooded swamps and bogs of northern North America. These streaky brown songbirds lack the bold colors of many other warblers and don’t forage in forest canopies. They forage at the water’s edge in bogs and still water, where they hunt aquatic insects and small salamanders, all the while bobbing the rear of the body, much like a Solitary Sandpiper, another denizen of shady swamps.

More ID Info
image of range map for Northern Waterthrush
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Find This Bird

Find Northern Waterthrushes in summer by taking a pleasant stroll through a wooded swamp or bog. Listen for their sharp call notes and sweet songs. Whereas Louisiana Waterthrushes live along rushing streams, Northern is usually found around standing water. Migrants can be found in the tiniest of wetlands, even just small rain puddles, provided there is cover nearby. On tropical wintering grounds, the species uses mangrove wetlands.

Other Names

  • Reinita Charquera Norteña (Spanish)
  • Paruline des ruisseaux (French)
  • Cool Facts