Cinclus mexicanus
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
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 Calgary on a given day, based on 165 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 176th most-seen of the 259 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Dipper in Calgary on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of Calgary's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 120 mm in June.
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.
Among the best
Of the 8 cities where we can rate American Dipper sightings, Calgary ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, under 5%) and Denver (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the American Dipper that you can see in Calgary (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Black-capped Chickadee (about 90%), Black-billed Magpie (about 80%) and American Robin (about 60%), 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 Calgary (165 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.
