American Dipper

 The American dipper is not your typical songbird. They are not cute and colorful and popular on blog posts. However they are very fascinating as the are the only aquatic songbird in North America. The American dipper preys on aquatic insects and small fish which it often catches under the water. They find their prey by constantly dipping their head under the water, which is how they got their name.

 The American dipper is found along streams and rivers in the western half of North and Central America, from Alaska to Panama. They are not migratory and stay on territory year round. An abundance of feathers and a slow metabolic rate allow them to survive the freezing river temperatures even during the winter. The white spot in the photo above is the eye lid. These photos were taken on the Yellowstone River.

American Dipper

During our trip to Yellowstone last week I had the opportunity to photograph a few new birds for my life list. One of my new lifers was an American dipper. I had no idea what this bird was when I photographed it. It looked a lot like a plump cowbird but I was pretty sure it was not a cowbird because I found it in the rapids of the Yellowstone River.Fortunately it closed its eyes for a moment and I was able to photograph it with its white eye lid showing, above, which helped me to identify it.

 Dippers live around clean rushing waters. They forage the rocky bottoms of rivers and streams for aquatic insects, larvae, small fish and crustaceans. Many live in cold climates, such as mountains, and do not migrate south during the winter unless the water freezes up. Thick down feathers as well as a low metabolic rate help the dipper to survive the cold. Not the most colorful bird but still exciting because it was a lifer.