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Dipper American Dippers dive into rushing streams to forage; they propel themselves through the water with their wings, and sometimes even run submerged on the streambed. Of all the many creatures he encountered in his beloved Sierra Nevada, the one that the great American naturalist John Muir called "my favorite" was a most peculiar songbird, the Water Ouzel, now known as the American Dipper. Diving with abandon into fast-flowing streams, nesting in spectacularly scenic and inaccessible places, and piercing the roar of rushing water with its irrepressible song, the dipper, though rather plain in appearance, is quite remarkable in many aspects of its distribution and behavior. American Dippers are the only truly aquatic songbirds in North America, nesting and foraging along rushing mountain streams. They have a number of physical adaptations for their unique way of life. They may preen for more than two minutes at a time, obtaining oil from a preen gland 10 times larger than that of other songbirds. Each of their eyes has a second eyelid that closes while the bird dives. Dippers also have strong feet, which secure the bird as it stands on the beds of rapidly-moving streams. Dippers feed on insects and insect larvae, as well as small fish and fish eggs. While foraging, they plunge into streams head-first, propelling themselves through the water (with or against the current) with their wings. They may also extend their legs and run along the streambed. They stay submerged for up to 15 seconds. Dippers also forage by wading or standing at the water's edge and lowering their heads into the water. Dippers are so named because while standing, they often bob their entire bodies up and down. The reason for this dipping motion is unknown. (Two species of Eurasian dippers also bob in this fashion, but South American species do not.) The breeding range of the American Dipper encompasses the mountains and some coastal areas from the northern treeline in Alaska, throughout the Rockies, Cascades, and Sierra Nevada, as far south as Panama. Tolerant of cold temperatures, they winter throughout their breeding range where streams remain unfrozen. (One bird was observed foraging 64 km north of the Arctic Circle in central Alaska, where the ambient temperature was -57° C!) Freezing of streams compels dippers to move downstream to valley streams, larger rivers, and coastal areas. American Dippers aggressively defend both their breeding and winter territories, which are generally linear spaces along the stream. American Dipper Range Map Both sexes sing a loud, musical, and highly complex song. Stream noise tends to be loudest at 3.0-3.5 kHz; American Dippers sing at higher frequencies. Dipper songs are audible over the stream noise to people 100 meters away, and across a still lake, up to 1.5 km away. Of the American Dipper's nest, Muir wrote, "The Ouzel's nest is one of the most extraordinary pieces of bird architecture I ever saw, odd and novel in design, perfectly fresh and beautiful, and in every way worthy of the genius of the little builder. It is about a foot in diameter, round and bossy in outline, with a neatly arched opening near the bottom, somewhat like an old-fashioned brick oven..." For their nest sites, American Dippers commonly select streamside cliff ledges, occasionally behind waterfalls. They may also nest on bridges. Females generally lay four or five eggs, which they alone incubate. Both parents feed the young. Young birds depart the nest between 24 and 26 days after hatching. Recently fledged birds can swim, but generally do not dive, probably because their feathers are not yet sufficiently water-repellent. All dippers appear stout, with short wings and tail. Adult American Dippers are entirely slate-gray, with white feathers on their eyelids that are conspicuous when the bird blinks. Immature American Dippers are mostly gray with whitish underparts, with some yellow on their legs and bills. Males and females possess similar plumage; females are generally slightly smaller than males. Visit Shaw
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