Family: Parulidae, Wood Warblers view all from this family

Description 6 1/2" (17 cm). A terrestrial, thrush-like warbler. Dark olive-brown above, white and streaked below. Frequently bobs tail. Similar to Northern Waterthrush, but throat unstreaked and eyebrow longer, broader, and whiter.

Habitat Swift-moving brooks on hillsides; where Northern Waterthrush is absent, occurs in river swamps and along sluggish streams.

Nesting 5 brown-blotched white eggs in a grass-lined nest of dead leaves and moss set under the overhang of a stream bank, in a stump cavity, or among exposed tree roots.

Range Breeds from Minnesota, southern Ontario and central New England south to Texas and Georgia. Winters in tropics.

Voice   Song is 3 clear notes followed by a descending jumble.

Discussion This bird is very similar to the Northern Waterthrush; the waterthrushes were confused by early American ornithologists, who at one time thought there were three species. During spring migration, this species arrives much earlier than the Northern. Where the two species breed together, the Northern prefers bogs and swamps, while the Louisiana prefers rushing streams and clear brooks.