Brown Dipper

Brown Dipper

Cinclus pallasii

Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Almaty

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

16 Verified sightings at Almaty
854 In all 7 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Brown Dipper

The brown dipper (Cinclus pallasii), also known as Pallas's dipper, Asian dipper or the Asiatic dipper, is an aquatic songbird found in the mountains of the east Palearctic. It is a thrush-like bird with a cocked tail. Its plumage is chocolate-brown with a slightly lighter coloured back and breast. At 22 cm (8.7 in) and 87 g (3.1 oz), it is the largest of the dippers. This species, which is not often seen, is found at medium to low elevations where mountain streams flow.

The brown dipper was described by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1820 and given the binomial name Cinclus pallasii. The type locality is Eastern Siberia. The specific epithet pallasii was chosen in honour of the Prussian naturalist Peter Simon Pallas (1741–1811). Of the five species now placed in the genus, a molecular genetic study has shown that the brown dipper is most closely related to the other Eurasian species, the white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus).

There are three subspecies: Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:06

China · 2025

© Bo Shunqi 薄顺奇 · XC1048566 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:04

China · 2024

© Dave GUO · XC971211 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:13

Myanmar · 2010

© Thet Zaw Naing · XC684988 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nikko National Park 🇯🇵 Japan
~30%
2 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
~20%
3 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~10%
4 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%
6 Hemis National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
7 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Almaty 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
~10%
2 Guiyang 🇨🇳 China
~10%
3 Sapporo 🇯🇵 Japan
<5%
4 Dehradun 🇮🇳 India
<5%
5 Osaka 🇯🇵 Japan
<5%
6 Kathmandu 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
7 Tokyo 🇯🇵 Japan
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Aquamarine Inawashiro Kingfishers Aquarium 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Brown Dipper in Almaty?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Dipper sighting in Almaty on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 26th most-seen of the 73 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Brown Dipper in Almaty?

January

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Dipper in Almaty on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month. That is one of Almaty's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 75 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a Brown Dipper?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown Dipper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Almaty the best place to see a Brown Dipper?

Yes

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Brown Dipper sightings, Almaty has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Guiyang (China, about 10%) and Sapporo (Japan, under 5%).

Where does the Brown Dipper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Brown Dipper is recorded against all the birds logged in Almaty (16 verified sightings), 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.

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