Northern Waterthrush
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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Northern Waterthrush | image = Seiurus_noveboracensisEMP17CB.jpg | image_width = 200px | image_caption = Northern Waterthrush by LA Fuertes | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Passeriformes | familia = Parulidae | genus = Seiurus | species = S. noveboracensis | binomial = Seiurus noveboracensis | binomial_authority = (Gmelin, 1789) }} The Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis) is the smallest of the New World warblers. It breeds in the northern part of North America (in Canada, and the northern United States, including Alaska) and is migratory, wintering in Central America, the West Indies, and Florida. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.
The Northern Waterthrush is 13.5 cm long, weighs 15 g, and has a plain brown back, and white underparts streaked with black. There is a strong white supercilium, and the legs are pink. All plumages are similar, but young birds have buff underparts rather than white.
The only confusion species is the closely-related Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla), which has buff flanks and undertail and bright pink legs.
The breeding habitat is wet woodlands near standing water. Northern Waterthrushes nest in a stump or among tree roots, laying three to six eggs (cream- or buff-colored, with brown and gray spots) in a cup nest of leaves, bark strips, and rootlets.
They are terrestrial feeders, eating insects, mollusks, and crustaceans among the leaf litter. Their song is a loud swee swee chit chit weedleoo; their call is a hard chink.
References
- Cassidy, James (ed.) Book of North American Birds. Reader's Digest: 1990. ISBN 0895773511.
- Curson, Quinn and Beadle, New World Warblers ISBN 0-7136-3932-6
- Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-0814-9600-4