Photo: Nick Saunders
 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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1.18 (0.175 - 2.16)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Northern Waterthrush were observed in 274 squares across the Boreal Forest, south into the Boreal Transition ecoregion and parts of the eastern Aspen Parkland. In the Aspen Parkland, Northern Waterthrush were primarily observed at Moose Mountain and in riparian habitat along creeks and rivers in the eastern Parkland north of Moose Mountain, especially along the Qu'Appelle River Valley and Pipestone Creek. Distribution in the boreal regions was somewhat patchy, and mapping analysis highlighted centres of higher relative abundance in the eastern regions, including the Porcupine Hills and the Mid-Boreal Lowland, Selwyn Lake Upland and parts of the Churchill River Upland ecoregions.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Though its brown back and streaked breast give the look of a thrush, the Northern Waterthrush is actually a large warbler. True to its name, it prefers wet places, foraging for insects and invertebrates at the water's edge . This is a true boreal warbler, its breeding range extending across the boreal forest from Alaska to Labrador south to the northern Rockies and Appalachians of the US. Winters from central Mexico, West Indies through to northern South America.
The Northern Waterthrush nests in "swampy tangles bordering beaver dams, in swales bordering sluggish streams, or in moist thickets bordering lakes and rivers? (Smith 1996). During migration it is usually seen in woods or shrubbery in the vicinity of water, either standing or free-flowing.
This species is a fairly common summer resident in the subarctic and boreal regions of Saskatchewan- one of the few warblers to be found in the extreme northeast. It is uncommon in wooded valleys in the eastern Qu'Appelle Valley and Moose Mountain, and "at best a rare summer resident in the rest of the Parklands? (Smith 1996).
Original text by Donna Bruce. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Northern Waterthrush in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Northern Waterthrush in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=NOWA&lang=en [16 Feb 2026]
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