Basic Description. Best distinguished from very similar Louisiana Waterthrush by thinner, more yellowish supercilium and typically spotted throat, drabber leg color. The northern waterthrush will glean bugs from off the ground. Habitat should be considered when identifying waterthrushes. This bird is territorial and will use its metallic chink call to ward away predators. Eyebrows are thick and vary from pale yellow to white. The call is a sharp chink! It starts on one higher pitch and then accelerates to shorter, more jumbled noises. To determine which waterthrush you may be watching, examine the head. It is 6 inches long. When migrating, it will choose more wooded areas. It will find cover within the roots of a tree or in a hole in a fallen log. The Northern Waterthrush is a large warbler with a long, heavy bill and a flattish head. Dark streaking on breast. 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. The northern waterthrush has a forest habitat and likes to breed and nest near slow-moving bodies of water such as streams, bogs, and swamps. The nest placement of the northern waterthrush will be on the ground. These streaky brown songbirds lack the bold colors of many other warblers and don’t forage in forest canopies. It eats a variety of prey including caterpillars, spiders, and beetles. The Louisiana waterthrush begins with a few down-turned notes while the northern waterthrush will be steady and straight like the ground it prefers to nest on. The northern waterthrush is very often confused with the Louisiana waterthrush because of how confusingly similar they look. They have distinctive dark eye-lines with a white line above that, and dark caps. Northern Waterthrush: Large, ground-walking warbler with dark brown upperparts and white to pale yellow underparts with dark, heavy streaks. The northern waterthrush is a large New World warbler (and not a thrush, despite the name). They are dark brown above and buff-white with dark streaks below. 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. The one area where you can be confident in telling apart the Louisiana waterthrush with the northern waterthrush is their song. Their … The nest will be constructed from moss and leaves in an open cup, sometimes with a leaf cover making a kind of entranceway. The throat is lightl… The northern has a finely streaked throat and narrow, often buffy (not white) eye-line. It will also wade into shallow water to eat arthropods and even small fish. When migrating, it will choose more wooded areas. Males and females look alike. Use BWD's Birding and Nature Festival Finder to help you select from events all over the USA and beyond. Its song is also one of the main ways to tell the northern waterthrush apart from the Louisiana waterthrush. Territorial in both its winter and summer ranges. The northern waterthrush has a forest habitat and likes to breed and nest near slow-moving bodies of water such as streams, bogs, and swamps. On the head, the crown is brown with a white supercilium. Home » Learn » Bird Identification Guide » Warblers » Northern Waterthrush. Description: Dark brown above, whitish to pale yellowish below and supercilium. North Shore Birding FestivalOccurs early December in Maitland, Florida », YUMA BIRD, NATURE & HISTORY FESTIVALOccurs early January in YUMA, Arizona », Bald Eagle DaysOccurs early January in Rock Island, Illinois », White Pelican CelebrationOccurs early January in Chokoloskee, Florida », Wings Over WillcoxOccurs mid-January in Willcox, Arizona », Northern waterthrush, photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren courtesy of Wiki Commons, Get professional advice from the editors of. This bird’s song is very loud and ringing to announce its territory to other birds. The Louisiana has a bold white eye-line and plain unstreaked throat. These streaky brown songbirds lack the bold colors of many other warblers and don’t forage in forest canopies. It has a length of 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in), wingspan of 21–24 cm (8.3–9.4 in) and weighs between 13 and 25 g (0.46 and 0.88 oz) Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 6.8 to 8.2 cm (2.7 to 3.2 in), the tail is 4.5 to 5.7 cm (1.8 to 2.2 in), the bill is 1.1 to 1.2 cm (0.43 to 0.47 in) and the tarsus is 1.9 to 2.3 cm (0.75 to 0.91 in). The bill is pointed and dark. It flies swiftly in a direct line for short distances.