Species: Cinclus mexicanus
American Dipper
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Articles:
Dam removals are often associated with salmon recovery, but new research on the Elwha River suggests that birds also benefit. Scientists say birds are a sometimes-overlooked indicator of river health.
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Cinclidae
Genus
Cinclus
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Mirlo-Acuático Norteamericano - cincle d'Amérique
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Perching Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Passeriformes - Cinclidae - Cinclus
Ecology and Life History
Migration
true - true - false - May descend to lower elevations during the winter.
Non-migrant
true
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Adult insects and their larvae (e.g., caddis flies, stone flies, mayflies, mosquitos, water beetles); also eats clams, snails, some trout fry (AOU 1983). Walks, swims, or dives in or under water, walks on stream bottoms, while foraging.
Reproduction Comments
Clutch size is 3-6 in north (usually 4-5; but 2-4 in Costa Rica). Incubation, by female, lasts 15-17 days. Altricial young are tended by both adults, leave nest at 24-25 days (Terres 1980).
Ecology Comments
Solitary except during the nesting season. Bakus (1959b) reported defense of up to 320 meters of stream in breeding season, and from 46-820 meters in nonbreeding season. Year-round density was 1.3 to 2.9 birds per kilometer of stream. In Costa Rica, pairs defend linear territories along streams during most or all of year (Stiles and Skutch 1989).
Length
19
Weight
61
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-12-03
Global Status Last Changed
1996-12-03
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S4&CA.BC=S5&CA.NT=SU&CA.YT=S5&US.AK=S5&US.AZ=S3&US.CA=SNR&US.CO=S5&US.ID=S5&US.MT=S5&US.NN=S2&US.NE=__&US.NV=S4&US.NM=S3&US.OR=S4&US.SD=S2&US.UT=S3&US.WA=S5&US.WY=S4" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
RESIDENT: western and northeastern Alaska, north-central Yukon, northern British Columbia, southwestern Alberta, south in mountains to southwestern South Dakota, south to southern California and highlands of Mexico to western Panama.