Louisiana Waterthrush

Louisiana Waterthrush

Parkesia motacilla

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Dallas

In 3 days <5%

34 Verified sightings at Dallas
6,156 In all 46 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Louisiana Waterthrush

The Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) is a New World warbler, that breeds in eastern North America and winters in the West Indies and Central America. Plain brown above, it is white below, with black streaks and with buff flanks and undertail, distinguishing it from the closely related northern waterthrush. The habitats it prefers are streams and their surroundings, and other wet areas.

The Louisiana waterthrush breeds in eastern North America from southernmost Canada and south through the eastern United States, excluding Florida and the coast. It is migratory, wintering in Central America and the West Indies. This is a rare vagrant to the western United States. They are one of the earlier neotropical migrants to return to their breeding grounds in the spring, often completing their migration in late March or early April, which is almost two months before most other warblers reach their breeding grounds. They are also one of the earliest warblers to vacate their breeding grounds, with some departing as early as July; almost all will have left by late August.

The Louisiana waterthrush has a plain brown back and white underparts streaked with black... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:57

United States · 2025

© Bobby Wilcox · XC1036413 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:46

United States · 2023

© David A. Brinkman · XC805820 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:09

Mexico · 2022

© Manuel Grosselet · XC696427 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~30%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
~20%
4 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
5 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
6 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
7 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
9 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
10 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
11 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~10%
12 Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park 🇯🇲 Jamaica
~10%
13 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
14 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
15 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
16 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
20 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
21 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
22 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
24 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
25 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
27 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
29 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
31 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
32 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
34 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
36 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
37 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
38 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
39 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
41 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
42 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
43 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
44 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
45 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
46 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Havana 🇨🇺 Cuba
~10%
2 Santo Domingo 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~10%
3 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
4 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Puebla 🇲🇽 México
<5%
6 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%
7 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%
10 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Louisiana Waterthrush in Dallas?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Louisiana Waterthrush sighting in Dallas on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 192nd most-seen of the 253 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Louisiana Waterthrush in Dallas?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Louisiana Waterthrush in Dallas on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Louisiana Waterthrush?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Louisiana Waterthrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Dallas the best place to see a Louisiana Waterthrush?

14th of 22

Of the 22 cities where we can rate Louisiana Waterthrush sightings, Dallas ranks 14th at under 5%. The best odds are in Havana (Cuba, about 10%), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic, about 10%) and San Pedro Sula (Honduras, under 5%).

Where does the Louisiana Waterthrush sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Louisiana Waterthrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Dallas (34 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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