Species
Northern waterthrush
Parkesia noveboracensis
A streaky, tail-bobbing warbler of northern bogs and swamps, passing through Georgia's wet woods.
Photo Cephas (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 12 to 15 cm long
- Weight
- About 13 to 24 g
- Habitat
- Swamps, bogs and wet woods
- Diet
- Aquatic insects and small invertebrates
- In Georgia
- A common migrant, April to May and August to October
- Voice
- A loud, ringing song; a sharp "chink"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Brown above; buffy below with dense streaks, including on the throat; buffy eyebrow; bobs its tail
- Told apart from
- Louisiana waterthrush, which has a whiter, broader eyebrow
- Where to look
- Swampy woods and puddles during migration
Behaviour
Northern waterthrushes walk along the edges of still water, bobbing their tails constantly.
Why they matter
Northern waterthrushes breed in northern bogs and winter in mangroves, depending on wetlands at both ends of their range.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup among roots of a fallen tree
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Wet woods are important stopovers.
Misconceptions
- Birds that bob their tails are injured. Waterthrushes do it constantly.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | In the Caribbean and Central America | In the tropics | In the tropics | Migrants arriving | Migrants | Nesting in the north | Nesting | Migrants | Migrants | Last migrants | In the tropics | In the tropics |
Where it lives
Recorded in 89 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamapassing through
- Alaskabreeding
- Arkansaspassing through
- Coloradopassing through
- Connecticutbreeding
- Delawarepassing through
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridain winter
- Georgiapassing through
- Idahobreeding
- Illinoispassing through
- Indianapassing through
- Iowapassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckypassing through
- Louisianapassing through
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandpassing through
- Massachusettsbreeding
- Michiganbreeding
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippipassing through
- Missouripassing through
- Montanabreeding
- Nebraskapassing through
- Nevadapassing through
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseypassing through
- New Mexicopassing through
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinapassing through
- North Dakotabreeding
- Ohiopassing through
- Oklahomapassing through
- Oregonbreeding
- Pennsylvaniabreeding
- Rhode Islandbreeding
- South Carolinapassing through
- South Dakotapassing through
- Tennesseepassing through
- Texaspassing through
- Utahin winter
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginiapassing through
- Washington
- West Virginiabreeding
- Wisconsinbreeding
- Wyomingbreeding
Canada
Mexico
- Baja Californiapassing through
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Coahuilapassing through
- Colimain winter
- Durangoin winter
- Guanajuatoin winter
- Guerreroin winter
- Hidalgoin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Morelosin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaroin winter
- Quintana Rooin winter
- San Luis Potosiin winter
- Sinaloain winter
- Sonorain winter
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipasin winter
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
If you found one
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