Northern Waterthrush

The Northern Waterthrush is a tiny, cute bird that has a characteristic loud and ringing song. These birds are known for their spirited manner, and their energetic movements and songs. Northern Waterthrushes continuously make short and sharp chip calls.

About Northern Waterthrushes

In the evening, these birds make a relaxing and melodious flight which is often a great addition to the other bird songs that can be heard in their habitats.

However, these birds are not always this energetic. Bird enthusiasts who have studied these birds might know that these birds completely change their demeanor during migration. They become reclusive birds that lack the enthusiasm of the breeding period. These birds are actually wood Warblers, not Thrushes. They are very rarely sighted in forested wetlands and shorelines.

Northern Waterthrushes are very similar to Louisiana Waterthrushes, and for a long time, these birds were considered to be of one single species. There is an apparent difference in the bodies and bill sizes, but these birds share a number of character traits. The easiest way to identify these birds from afar is to observe them bobbing their bodies and wagging their tails.

Northern Waterthrushes are birds that aren’t particularly tolerant of other conspecifics in their ranges. Although, in areas like the northeastern U.S. where Louisiana Waterthrushes and Northern Waterthrushes overlap, strangely Northern Waterthrushes aren’t aggressive towards them. Perhaps, this is why researchers took so long to identify these two birds as different species.

The similarities are endless, but these two birds have some distinctly different behaviors. Especially the difference in their foraging behavior is very apparent.

Northern Waterthrushes are thriving in their breeding habitats, but the situation regarding their wintering habitat is completely different. Habitats in most of their wintering range are undergoing a drastic change, which is gravely going to affect the numbers of these birds. The only reason for this is the increasing burden of supporting a larger human population.

● Northern Waterthrushes Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Northern Waterthrushes Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Northern Waterthrushes Range and Migration, Nesting

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Northern Waterthrush Color Pattern

Northern Waterthrushes have predominantly olive-green upperparts including its upper wings and tail. A narrow and inconspicuous stripe is present on their forecrown, and they have a very prominent buff-colored stripe on their supercilium. A whitish coloration extends from their nostrils to the sides of the back of their neck.

A distinct olive green triangular spot is present on the front of their eyes, and another prominent mark is there on their lower eyelids. This mark is a crescent-shape. A number of other triangular marks are on their neck.

The plumages of both Northern Waterthrushes and Louisiana Waterthrushes are often confused. Northern Waterthrushes may have yellow or white underparts, but Louisiana Waterthrushes always have white lower bodies.

Northern Waterthrushes also have more dark streaks than their relatives. Louisiana Waterthrushes have pale pink feet, whereas Northern Waterthrushes have light brownish feet.

The superciliary line of Northern Waterthrushes can either be white or buff, but Louisiana Waterthrushes always have a white line. In the case of Louisiana Waterthrushes, this line extends further back. Both these birds have a few more intricate differences in the color of their plumage.

Description and Identification

These large wood Warblers are not very difficult to identify. Their energy in their breeding and wintering grounds is unparalleled, and as mentioned before their bobbing and tail-wagging is a dead giveaway for these birds. Of course, one might confuse them with Louisiana Waterthrushes, but well-informed birdwatchers can tell them apart without much difficulty.

These birds also have distinct songs and calls which you can use to identify them. Nestlings of Northern Waterthrushes begin vocalizing four days after hatching.

Northern Waterthrush Song

The primary song of Northern Waterthrushes consists of the loud and ringing vocals mentioned earlier in this article. This song is sung in three different parts. These phrases are repetitions of one type, followed by repetitions of notes of another type. This song is very sweet to hear. “Sweet sweet sweet wee wee chew chew chew” is an approximate
representation of their song.

Other variants of this song are also present. In these other variants, the final portion of this song might end with a single note. Northern Waterthrushes living in the same range share a greater number of phrases than the phrases shared between birds living further apart. Therefore, this song is always sweet and melodious, but the phrases can often change according to the geographical range.

Northern Waterthrushes sing a flight song exclusively on their breeding grounds. This song begins with loud, sharp chips of an increasing frequency when these birds are still on the ground. They begin to fly as the song changes into quicker and longer portions of their primary song. The flight song is a jumble of half-song notes and half-calls. The flight song is common during late evenings.

Some male Northern Waterthrushes sing softly on perches during the breeding season. No swift movements or loud vocals occur during this song. Sometimes, males sing this song 50-100 feet away from their nesting sites where the females are incubating the eggs.

Northern Waterthrushes also have a number of distinct calls frequently used by them. They have a sharp and steely chink call that lacks the penetrating quality of the same call made by Louisiana Waterthrushes. This call is common throughout the year. In certain territories of Northern Waterthrushes, this call is garnering a better and quicker response than their primary song.

Another call of theirs is a buzzy “zeez” call. Adults make this high-pitch call during courtship, and by fledglings while feeding. Sputter calls generally follow the “zeez” calls. These calls indicate excitement or aggression.

Northern Waterthrush Size

Northern Waterthrushes are comparatively large species of New World Warblers. Their length varies from 4.7-5.9 inches, and their wingspan is approximately between 8.3-9.4 inches. They usually weigh 0.46-0.88 ounces.

These birds have a smaller bill and overall size in comparison to Louisiana Waterthrushes. The body mass of these birds increases during winters because of the greater presence of moisture.

Northern Waterthrush Behavior

Northern Waterthrushes are ground foragers that frequent water bodies, rocks and logs. They are skilled at hopping while seeking prey. The flight of these birds is agile and quick.

These birds are generally reclusive before they form pairs. After the younglings leave the nest, Northern Waterthrushes might form family groups. Male Northern Waterthrushes establish and defend a nesting territory that can be as large as 100 acres in size. The range of the territory they defend is often larger than the range they usually use for foraging.

Northern Waterthrushes begin to form pairs immediately after females arrive on the breeding grounds. While females are generally closer to grounds that are at the edge of the water, males perch atop tree branches. To attract the attention of the female, males raise their crowns, vibrate their bodies, and sing. Females answer with a chink call.

Both sexes use the flight song and primary song to defend their territories. When they encounter rival males, they fly at them and chase them away. Clashes with opponents are also common on the ground. While doing this, a crouch-walk display occurs, in which rival males walk toward each other with quivering wings, and fanned tails.

After the younglings successfully fledge, the pair bond might be broken. Most Northern Waterthrushes are still territorial while migrating and during winter, but populations living in undesirable habitats might choose not to expend their energy in defending their territories. This usually occurs in drier habitats.

Northern Waterthrush Diet

Northern Waterthrushes consume a wide variety of food items, especially during the winter season. The majority of their diet during the breeding season includes insects, larvae, snails, and spiders. They eat butterfly larvae commonly after leaves begin to emerge during spring.

During winter, these birds add decapod crustaceans and minnows to their existing diet. Individuals forage alone. Although most of their foraging is on the ground, they can also glean from perches, catch their prey mid-air, and hover around and chase their prey.

The microhabitats these birds use for feeding are foliage, air, ground, and water. Before the onset of Spring, around 75% of their feeding is done beside the water while walking and hopping along with logs and branches.

Northern Waterthrush Habitat

Two important habitat requirements for Northern Waterthrushes are the presence of a dense cover of vegetation near the ground, and the presence of surface water in close vicinity.

Rivers, streams, wooded swamps, riparian thickets, and thickets of bogs are the habitats these Warblers live in. During migration, these birds often inhabit marshes, streams, and stagnant pools which have the presence of thick cover.

During winters, mangroves are the most frequent habitat. In this habitat, Northern Waterthrushes are regularly the most abundant species. In winter, these birds search for habitats that have a fair quantity of water.

Loose flocks of these birds, roost together at night in trees. These roost sites are a little farther away than their feeding areas. These birds might travel as far as a mile to reach the roost site.

Range and Migration

During the breeding season, these birds live in a belt that stretches east from northern Alaska to all the Canadian provinces. The habitats of these birds are well protected in this range.

In winter, these birds can be sighted in the mangroves of South and Central America. These birds are nocturnal migrants that cover large distances. While migrating, these birds need to make stopovers to feed themselves. These stopovers might last for 4-7 days.

Northern Waterthrush Lifecycle

Most Northern Waterthrushes breed annually. The young begin breeding in the first spring following their birth. Around this period, they are almost 1 year old. Northern Waterthrushes mostly raise one brood per year, but it isn’t very uncommon for them to raise multiple broods.

Females lay an average of 2.7 eggs which need to be incubated for approximately 12 days. The responsibility of incubation is solely taken on by the female. Incubation begins shortly after they lay the third egg.

The ovate-shaped eggs are white and dotted, and sometimes they might have brown and gray spots on them. These eggs look very similar to Cowbird eggs, but they are significantly smaller in size.

The oldest Northern Waterthrush was almost 9 years old when it died. Annually, around 64% of Northern Waterthrushes survive. Some common causes of early mortality for these birds are predation, diseases, and body parasites.

Nesting

Female Northern Waterthrushes select the nesting site. The nest is constructed with the roots of fallen trees. These nests are built on vegetation present near water, or within niches in the banks of streams. Northern Waterthrushes that reside in the northernmost portion of their range, construct their nests in marshy areas.

Both sexes construct the nest, but the involvement of the female is greater. The nest is covered from above and carefully hidden amongst vegetation. The entrance to the nest is from the side. Materials used to build the nest are pine needles, mosses, rootlets, stems, and twigs. Fine grasses and animal hair are used to line the nest. Northern Waterthrush nests are 2 inches tall and have a diameter of 4.2 inches.

Anatomy of a Northern Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrushes are large Warblers with tails that are 1.8-2.2 inches long. The length of their bill ranges between 0.43-.47 inches and their tarsus is between 0.75-0.91 inches. In most of these measurements, males are larger than females.

Final Thoughts

Northern Waterthrushes are beautiful birds with a very sweet song. Observing these energetic birds would definitely be a delightful experience for a birdwatcher. A casual birdwatcher might also enjoy carefully observing these birds to precisely differentiate them from Louisiana Waterthrushes.

Ornithology

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Bird HousesForNorthern Waterthrushes

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