White-throated Dipper

Overview

The white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), also known as the European dipper or just dipper, is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few birds capable of foraging by swimming and diving underwater.

Identification

• About 18 cm long with a rotund body and short tail.
• Adults typically have a brown head, slate-grey back mottled with black, and brown wings and tail.
• Throat and upper breast are white, followed by a chestnut band on the breast that merges into a black belly; some subspecies have a black belly band instead of chestnut.
• Bill is almost black, with brown legs and irises.
• The male's song is sweet and wren-like, accompanied by sharp, metallic calls like 'clink, clink' during courtship displays.

Habitat

The species is closely associated with swiftly running rivers and streams, or the lakes into which they fall, often perching on rocks around which the water swirls. Its range spans Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. In winter, some individuals may move to lowlands or coasts when their usual habitats freeze, while others remain if open water is available.

Diet

The dipper primarily feeds on aquatic invertebrates such as caddis worms, insect larvae, beetles, and freshwater molluscs, as well as fish, small amphibians, and the crustacean Gammarus. It forages by walking on riverbanks or, more characteristically, by submerging in water where it swims and 'flies' using its wings to grip and move along the riverbed. A line of rising bubbles often reveals its underwater path.

Did you know?

The white-throated dipper is the national bird of Norway. It is also the only bird recorded to be preyed upon by predatory fish such as brown trout, although only one case has been documented.