It breeds in the northern part of North America in Canada and the northern United States including Alaska, and winters in Central America, the West Indies and Florida, as well as in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador.

[8] Both waterthrush species walk rather than hop, and seem to teeter, since they bob their rear ends as they move along.

[citation needed] On the wintering grounds in Puerto Rico, northern waterthrushes leave daytime foraging areas and fly up to 2 km (1.2 mi) to nighttime roosts.

[10] Northern waterthrush territories are distributed across both upland and riparian habitats, but have limited occupation of harvested areas.

[11] The breeding habitat of the northern waterthrush is wet woodlands near water, especially rivers and streams.

[12] Northern waterthrushes build a cup nest constructed of leaves, bark strips, and rootlets in cavities or among tree roots.

[14][15] The song of loud, emphatic, clear chirping notes generally falling in pitch and accelerating; loosely paired or tripled, with little variation.

[8] The first northern waterthrush recorded in Europe was a female trapped in Ushant, France on 17 September 1955.