Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla)

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A Field Guide to Warblers of North America (The Peterson Field Guide Series). by Kimball L. Garrett, Jon L. Dunn, Cindy House (Illustrator)

Warblers of Eastern North America

Recording by John R. Sauer, U.S. Geological Survey

Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla)

Identification: 5.25 inches from tip of bill to tip of tail.

Breeding Male: The Louisiana Waterthrush is brown on top with a brown crown of the head. A broad white strip is found above the eye edged below with a thin dark brown streak through the eye. The underside is white with strong dark brown streaks. The throat is not streaked with dark brown, although there is a single dark brown "mustache" line stretching from near the base of the bill to the top of the breast. The rump is white and unmarked. The bird is constantly wagging its tail.

Female: Similar to the male.

Fall Male and Female: Similar to the breeding male and female.

Immature: Similar to the breeding male.

Similar Species: The Louisiana Waterthrush can be confused with two other species of the genus Seiurus; the Ovenbird and the Northern Waterthrush. The Ovenbird has a rusty-orange cap on the head and the upper side of the body is olive-brown, not brown. The Louisiana Waterthrush is very similar to the Northern Waterthrush. During the breeding season, the distributions of the two species do not overlap except in New England. The light band over the eye (supercilium) is narrower in the Northern Waterthrush and usually tinged with yellow. The supercilium of the Louisiana Waterthrush is larger and always white. The throat of the Northern Waterthrush is streaked with small, dark brown spots, but these small, dark brown streaks are absent from the throat of the Louisiana Waterthrush. The songs of the two species are very distinctive. The white band over the eye and their smaller size will distinguish the Louisiana Waterthrush from the thrushes.

Breeding Range (see map below): The breeding range of the Louisiana Waterthrush is concentrated in the southeastern and east-central United States. The species reaches as far north as southern New England and westward and southward to eastern Oklahoma and Texas.

Overwintering Range: American tropics.

Habitat: The Louisiana Waterthrush is found along streams and brooks most commonly, but also occurs along rivers and swamps.

Food: Aquatic insects and other invertebrates.

Behavior: The song consists of 3 slow, high notes followed by a mish-mash of descending notes. The Louisiana Waterthrush is always found near water, particularly streams and brooks, feeding on aquatic invertebrates. It is a vigorous tail wagger and moves with a bobbing motion.

Reproduction: The nest is constructed of dead leaves and moss lined with grass. The nest is placed in the overhang of a stream bank, in a stump or among the exposed roots of a tree. The clutch consists of 4 to 6 white eggs with brown spots. The incubation period is about 13 days and the young leave the nest about 10 days are hatching.

Notes: The Louisiana Waterthrush is very closely related to the Northern Waterthrush. Where the two species breed together the Louisiana Waterthrush prefers rushing streams along hillsides while the Northern Waterthrush occupies the bogs and swamps.