From Opus

Photo by Glen Tepke

Parkesia motacilla

Seiurus motacilla

Identification

5.25 inches. Upperparts, wings and tail, dark brown, slight olive tint. White throat, white eyebrow. Relatively long legs and feet pink. Female: Same as adult male.

Similar Species

Northern Waterthrush

Distribution

Breeds in the eastern United States from southern Minnesota east to most of New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire south to eastern Texas east to Georgia. Casual to accidental vagrant in the western United States.
Winters to Florida, the West Indies and northwest South America.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species¹.

It was formerly placed in genus Seiurus.

Habitat

Mature deciduous or mixed forests near rocky streams (only very rarely found near standing water). In migration found in a variety of damp areas near water.

Behaviour

Diet includes aquatic insects and invertebrates, flying insects and sometimes small fish or small frogs.

It builds its nest on the ground along stream banks, hidden in the underbrush or among the roots of fallen trees. 4-6 white-creamy eggs with speckles, spots, or blotches of reddish brown are laid.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. 51st supplement to the AOU checklist of North American birds

External Links