The American Dipper

Photo by Robert Shantz

Have you ever seen an American Dipper? What fun it is to watch them dive under water in fast moving streams searching for their food. This bird probably got its name not from dipping into the water but because of the way they bob their entire body up and down when landing on a rock or log in the water.

Description: The American Dipper is a plump bird with a short tail and long legs. They are about 7 ½ inches in length and dark gray overall. They are kind of non-descript with no wing bars or any other markings. Their legs are pale looking.

Range: This is strictly a western bird covering all the West Coast and western states up through the middle of New Mexico.

Food & Foraging: Their food consists of aquatic larvae and small fish or insects in the water. They find their food by diving into fast moving streams and then they literally fly under the water flapping their strong wings as they grab their food with their beak. When they emerge from the water downstream, they fly back to their rock, log or even another perch in the stream. They have been seen wading in waters with their head underwater searching for food. They are able to do this because they have a white membrane (third eyelid) that can be drawn across the eye and yet still are able to see very clearly. Their plumage is soft, dense and difficult to saturate.

Predators: Their natural predators are small hawks and falcons, but pollution of streams can be deadly to them.

Breeding: They nest on a cliff face among moss and ferns, behind a waterfall or on midstream rock. Their nest is usually lined with moss. These birds are polygamous and a pair may bond for as little as three weeks. Their eggs are white and unmarked and about an inch long. They lay 4-5 eggs and may have two broods in a year.