Identification - This member of the warbler group is about the size of a sparrow. It appears to be a brown ground thrush that bobs and teeters like a sandpiper. It is brown above with a distinct pale yellow eye-stripe. The underparts are yellowish and heavily streaked with dark brown. The throat and underparts usually have a buffy tinge.
Morsels - The Northern Waterthrush belongs to a group of three warblers of the genus Seiurus. Each one is brown above and white below with brown streaks and walks more than it flies while feeding. Each also has an exceptionally loud song, an adaptation to the noisy forest environment. In order to proclaim its territory and attract a mate, a Seiurus warbler has to produce a song that can be heard above the wind in the branches and sometimes above the rushing waters of a wilderness stream.
