Dippers · Perching birds
White-throated Dipper
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Cinclus cinclus
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Voice
Song
Terje Kolaas
Song
Jochem verweij
How to recognize it
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Starlings-sized, stocky, short-tailed
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Dark brown body with a white throat and breast bib
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Scaly pattern on the back, faint at a distance
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Low, fast, straight flight over water; call "dzit"
About the species
The white-throated dipper is a compact, short-tailed river specialist that is easier to notice by its habits than by a quick look. It has a dark body with a clean white bib, and always seems built for the water’s edge.
It stays close to fast-moving streams all year. It starts singing in winter, then moves into breeding early in spring, and feeds by diving for small aquatic life among stones, shallows, and the stream bed.
It favors clear rivers and brooks with rocky banks, often where the sides are lined with trees. In winter it stays where the water remains open, while some move farther south.
Where to find
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Along fast, unfrozen streams in town — under bridges and by rough stone banks, the White-throated Dipper gives itself away with a low flight over the current and a sharp call from the rocks.
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On canal edges and embankments with a stony bottom, look for the quick bobbing posture on a boulder, then a sudden dive into the water.
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At park ponds with flowing inlets or outlets — especially early in the morning, when it feeds between stones at the waterline.
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Near culverts, small waterfalls, and spillways, where the stream breaks into white water, it often perches on exposed ledges before dropping under the surface.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Cinclus cinclus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — White-throated dipper Encyclopedia article