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White-throated Dipper
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Adult (Cinclus cinclus aquaticus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cinclidae
Genus: Cinclus
Species: Cinclus cinclus

The White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) is a passerine bird in the Cinclidae family.

Description[]

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It measures about 18 cm in length. It has a stubby body, a short tail, and short, pointed wings. Its plumage is brown, its bill is black, its feet are dark gray and its throat is white.

Behavior[]

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White-throated dipper diving

The Dipper is the only European passerine to be able to dive, swim and even walk underwater. It feeds on small aquatic insects and worms, which it catches from the floor of streams and rivers. It flies quickly and in a straight line, and never ventures far from water.

Breeding and Nesting[]

The nest is usually built either near water or above the surface of a pond. The nest is a domed structure made of moss, grass stalks and leaves. The inner cup-shaped recess is made of stems, roots and hair. Both sexes build the main large structure, but only females make a cup-shaped inner nest. White-throated Dippers are monogamous and actively defend their territory. 1 to 8 eggs, most 4 to 5 eggs are laid, the female incubates after the last or sometimes the penultimate egg has been laid, and the eggs hatch after around 16 days and then the female feeds the altricial and nidicolous nestlings until they fledge. The male then starts helping to raise the nestlings until they become independent.

Distribution and Habitat[]

The White-throated Dipper is a resident bird of the western and central Palearctic, wintering in to milder regions in there. It lives along rivers, creeks and mountain streams with clean water, nesting in ravines in rocks next to the water.

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