Cinclus mexicanus
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a water ouzel, is a semiaquatic bird species native from North America. The American dipper is a stocky, grey bird with a head sometimes tinged with brown, and white feathers on the eyelids that cause the eyes to flash white as the bird blinks. On average, it measures 16.5 cm (6.5 in) in length, has a wingspan of 23 cm (9.1 in), and weighs 46 g (1.6 oz).
The American dipper was described by English zoologist William Swainson in 1827 based on a specimen that had been collected in Mexico by English naturalist William Bullock. Swainson placed the new species with the dippers in the genus Cinclus and coined the current binomial name Cinclus mexicanus. The type locality is Temascaltepec de González in Mexico.
The five subspecies are: Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Planckendael Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Dipper sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 268 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 301st most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Dipper in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Dipper sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
19th of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate American Dipper sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 19th at under 5%. The best odds are in Glacier National Park (United States, about 20%), Zion National Park (United States, about 20%) and Yellowstone National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the American Dipper that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Scarlet-rumped Tanager (about 80%), Clay-colored Thrush (about 70%) and Blue-gray Tanager (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Dipper is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (268 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
