With a voice like the sound of falling water
This bird knows its place in the world.
June: The Louisiana Waterthrush
Not to confuse anyone (!), but Louisiana waterthrushes are not thrushes—thrushes being plump small-to-medium-sized birds known for foraging worms and snails on forest floors—but rather are warblers known for their loud, sweet song.
The Louisiana waterthrush has a descending song, one that drops in pitch, and which has been likened to the cascades of water that are often near their habitats. During breeding season, the Louisiana waterthrush inhabits the banks of tree-lined rushing streams and fast-flowing creeks throughout the southeastern/eastern United States, hopping on rocks and moving among low-lying brush, building their cup-like nests in root tangles of steep banks.
Louisiana waterthrushes have brown bodies, white throats, streaked underparts, thick white eyebrows—called supercilium—and long, bright pink legs. Their tails are short and nearly always moving. The species name for this bird is motacilla, meaning “tail-wagger.” However, Louisiana waterthrushes don’t exactly wag their tails, but rather dip or bob them, using their ankle joints, creating an almost-constant teetering motion.
Louisiana waterthrushes are seasonally monogamous, but may return to the same nest site and pair with the same mate for consecutive breeding seasons. Both sexes seem to select a nest site and build it together, having one brood per season. They take streamside territories—as long as 4,800 feet—with males defending their space through flapping displays and counter-calling.
Their diet consists of a variety of water and land bugs and larvae. They will also eat small fish and streambed invertebrates.
They are among the earliest spring arrivals during breeding season, coming from wintering grounds in Central America and the Caribbean, and are likewise among the earliest to migrate back—as soon as July or August. So, if you haven’t seen one yet this season, don’t wait much longer to seek one out!
Sources:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Louisiana_Waterthrush/
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/louisiana-waterthrush
https://ebird.org/species/louwat
https://abcbirds.org/bird/louisiana-waterthrush/