Dippers · Perching birds
White-throated Dipper
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Cinclus cinclus
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Voice
Song
Song
How to recognize it
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About 18 cm, stocky shape and short tail
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Dark brown plumage, white throat and upper breast
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On rocks by fast streams, often bobs with tail raised, then dives
About the species
Along a fast stream, look for a dark brown shape with a bright white bib across the throat and upper chest. Its back has a faint, scaly pattern, and its short tail often points up when it settles on a rock. A nearly black bill stands out against the pale chest. In flight, it skims low over the water on quick, direct wingbeats.
On the rocks, it bobs before stepping into the current or plunging from a perch. Underwater, it works its wings to swim while picking food from the streambed. A sharp "zil, zil" call carries over the rush, and courting males add metallic "clink, clink" notes.
It lives along clear, fast-flowing rivers and streams, often where the banks are wooded. It feeds on aquatic insect larvae and small crustaceans, searching in shallow water, between stones, and below the surface. Many stay in the same stretch year-round while water remains open; if streams freeze, some move to lower ground or other unfrozen water.
Where to find
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At a fast, clear stream, look for a White-throated Dipper on a rock in the current, bobbing with its short tail raised.
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In shallow water between rocks, watch for sudden dives and resurfacing as it gathers aquatic insect larvae.
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By a bridge over fast-flowing water, during chick-rearing, watch adults fly to a concealed nest beneath the structure.
