Louisiana Waterthrush

Parkesia motacilla

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
FamilyParulidae (New World Warblers)
GenusParkesia (Waterthrushes)
SpeciesParkesia motacilla (Louisiana Waterthrush)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Saguaro National Park

4 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026

7,920 Verified sightings across all 58 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Parkesia noveboracensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Setophaga coronata

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Leiothlypis luciae

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

LC Endemic

Setophaga petechia

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Setophaga aestiva

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Leiothlypis celata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Geothlypis trichas

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Cardellina pusilla

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Setophaga auduboni

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Setophaga nigrescens

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Cardellina canadensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Setophaga americana

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

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

← Back to Saguaro National Park

Louisiana Waterthrush

About the Louisiana Waterthrush

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Northern Waterthrush

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Lucy's Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Northern Yellow Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Wilson's Warbler

Audubon's Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Canada Warbler

Northern Parula

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found