American Dipper
American Dipper
Cinclus mexicanus
At a Glance
This distinctive bird is locally common along rushing streams in the West, especially in high mountains. It is usually seen bobbing up and down on a rock in mid-stream, or flying low over the water, following the winding course of a creek rather than taking overland shortcuts. The song and callnotes of the Dipper are loud, audible above the roar of the water.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Dippers, Perching Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, High Mountains, Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Flap/Glide
Population
160.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Permanent resident in many areas, some staying through winter even in far north, wherever fast-flowing streams remain unfrozen. Some move to lower elevations and slightly southward in winter.
Description
7-8 1/2" (18-22 cm). Chunky, short-tailed, and gray all over, although white eyelids sometimes flash noticeably. Juvenile has pale bill, pale edgings on wings. Loud voice, audible over noise of rushing water.
Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Black, Gray
Wing Shape
Rounded
Tail Shape
Rounded, Short, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
A loud, bubbling song that carries over the noise of rapids. Call is a sharp zeet.
Call Pattern
Undulating
Habitat
Fast-flowing streams in mountains. Breeds along swift, rocky streams, seeming to favor clear, cold water, often in narrow canyons. Mostly lives in mountainous areas, but sometimes (especially in Alaska) may be along streams through level country, even near sea level. In winter, may move to streams at lower elevations, sometimes accepting narrow creeks or slower-moving rivers.
Sign up for Audubon's newsletter to learn more about birds like the American Dipper
Behavior
Eggs
4-5, sometimes 3-6. White. Incubation is by female, 13-17 days.
Young
Both parents feed nestlings (but female may do more). Young leave the nest at about 18-25 days, and are able to swim and dive almost immediately.
Feeding Behavior
Most food is caught underwater. The Dipper may walk with only its head submerged, or may dive, "flying" underwater and walking on the bottom, probing under stones in streambed. Also will swim on surface to pick up floating insects. Occasionally takes insects from streamside rocks, rarely makes short flights to catch insects in mid-air.
Diet
Mostly aquatic insects. Feeds on many kinds of aquatic insects, including larvae of caddisflies, mayflies, beetles, bugs, and mosquitoes, as well as adults of these insects and many others; also some worms and snails. Also eats fish eggs and very small fish (less than 3" long).
Nesting
In courtship, either male or female may strut and sing in front of other bird, with wings drooping and bill pointed up. Nest: Natural sites include slight ledge on mossy rock wall just above stream, among roots on dirt bank, or behind waterfall; often placed where nest remains continuously wet from flying spray. Many nests today are built under bridges that cross mountain streams. Nest (probably built by female) is a domed structure about a foot in diameter, with a large entrance low on one side; made of mosses, some of them still green and growing, often with some twigs, rootlets, or grass woven in.
Climate Vulnerability
Conservation Status
Has declined or disappeared in some former haunts where streams have become polluted. The species is a good indicator of water quality.
Climate Threats Facing the American Dipper
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.