#parkesia

[snototter]

A Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) searches for insects in a stream in Pennsylvania, USA

by William Culp

[herpsandbirds]

Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), family Parulidae, order Passeriformes, nests in the Eastern US, overwinters in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

Not a thrush, this bird is a new world warbler (or wood warbler).

photograph by Cameron Darnell

[best-bird-tournament]

Waterthrush (Parkesia)

Which is the best bird?

Northern waterthrush

Louisiana waterthrush

Voting ended onJun 22, 2025

[proton-wobbler]

Warbler Showdown; Bracket 8.2, Poll 2

Flame-throated vs Louisiana

Flame-throated Warbler

Louisiana Waterthrush

Voting ended onJun 8, 2024

Flame-throated Warbler (Oreothlypis gutturalis)

IUCN Rating: Least Concern

Range: resident (non-migratory); highlands of central Costa Rica and northern Panama

Habitat: humid montane forests and their edges

Subspecies: none

Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)

IUCN Rating: Least Concern

Range: migratory; from the Northeast states down the Appalachian mountains and into the Southeast, as well as the Mississippi river drainage from Missouri down to Texas; overwinters in the Greater Antilles, as well as Mexico down through the very top of Colombia.

Habitat: found most consistently around streams, preferring those in close-canopy, hilly, deciduous or mixed-evergreen forests, both during breeding and overwintering seasons.

Subspecies: none

Image Sources: Flame (Bradley Hacker); Louisiana (Malcolm Kurtz)

[naturalist-journal]

[that-crazy-scorpio-man]

Northern waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)

[proton-wobbler]

Warbler Showdown; Bracket 8, Poll 3

Northern vs Louisiana

Northern Waterthrush

Louisiana Waterthrush

Voting ended onJan 16, 2024

Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)

IUCN Rating: Least Concern

Range: migratory; breeds from Alaska all the way to Newfoundland, with some populations dipping into Montana and the Northeast states. Overwinters in the Greater Antilles, and from southern Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela.

Habitat: breeds in areas of dense ground cover where surface water is present, such as bogs, wooded swamps, and riparian thickets. Overwinters in similar habitats, but can also be found heavily associated in mangroves.

Subspecies: none

Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)

IUCN Rating: Least Concern

Range: migratory; from the Northeast states down the Appalachian mountains and into the Southeast, as well as the Mississippi river drainage from Missouri down to Texas; overwinters in the Greater Antilles, as well as Mexico down through the very top of Colombia.

Habitat: found most consistently around streams, preferring those in close-canopy, hilly, deciduous or mixed-evergreen forests, both during breeding and overwintering seasons.

Subspecies: none

Image Sources: Northern (Kyle Blaney) Louisiana (Malcolm Kurtz)

[proton-wobbler]

Genus: Parkesia

Louisiana Waterthrush (type species) by Charles J. Sharp

The etymology of this one is simple! It was chosen by George Sangster, the scientist behind the oft-mentioned 2008 genetic analysis that rearranged much of the Parulidae family tree. He chose the name to honor American ornithologist Kenneth C. Parkes, who was a Curator of Birds at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The need for a new genus name came as Sangster suggested the two waterthrush species be separated from Seiurus, thus leaving the Ovenbird as the sole member.

The common name of waterthrush is named as such due to their somewhat drab and dappled appearance (thus resembling some members of the Turdidae family of thrushes) and their habit of being found near water. In fact, other than dippers, they are one of the few songbirds that rely on running water as a preferred place to source their food.