Dipper
| Class: Aves: Birds |
Diet: Insect larvae,
insects, other invertebrates |
| Order:
Passeriformes: Perching birds |
| Size: 18
- 22 cm (7 - 8 1/2 in) |
| Family: Cinclidae:
Dippers |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name:
Cinclus mexicanus |
Habitat: mountain
streams |
| Range:
Alaska, through Western North America to Panama |
 A
wren-shaped bird, the dipper has a compact body, long, stout legs and a
short, square-tipped tail. Its bill is hooked and is notched at the tip.
Like all dippers, it frequents mountain streams and walks or dives into
the water, swims underwater and even walks on the bottom, to obtain insect
and invertebrate prey, especially caddis fly larvae. A bulky, domed
nest, made of moss and grass, is built by the female on a rock in a stream
or beside a stream among tree roots or rocks; it has a side entrance. The
female lays 3 to 6 eggs, which she incubates for 15 to 17 days.
  
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