Plate 19 – Louisiana Water Thrush

When the time came to complete the first edition of Birds of America, John James Audubon almost succeeded in separating the waterthrushes between the Louisiana and the Northern. In addition to the Louisiana Water Thrush, Audubon named and drew the Common Water Thrush in the first edition (see Plate 433, No. 7). But then he gave them the same binomial as Turdus aquaticus! For the octavo edition of Birds of America, Audubon combined the two waterthrushes into one species that he called Seiurus novæboracensis or the Aquatic Wood-wagtail (Louisiana Water Thrush). The birds have since been split back between the Louisiana waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla) and the Northern waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis). The Northern waterthrush tends to nest farther to the north in forest areas with slow moving water, whereas the Louisiana waterthrush prefers forest areas for nesting further to the south with fast moving water. Then there are the slight differences in their songs and calls. Otherwise there might not be two birds more difficult to distinguish in the field or when creating a drawing.