American Dipper

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Edmonton

In 3 days <5%

25 Verified sightings at Edmonton
9,270 In all 26 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the American Dipper

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 →

Sounds

Song1:20

Canada · 1985

© Peter Ward · XC511305 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:22

United States · 2009

© Paul Driver · XC70037 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Song0:29

United States · 2019

© Ted Floyd · XC460527 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
10 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
11 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
12 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
13 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
16 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
18 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
19 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
21 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
22 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
25 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Anchorage 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
4 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
5 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%
6 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Planckendael Zoo 🇧🇪 Belgium In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an American Dipper in Edmonton?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Dipper sighting in Edmonton on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 179th most-seen of the 190 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an American Dipper in Edmonton?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Dipper in Edmonton on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an American Dipper?

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.

Is Edmonton the best place to see an American Dipper?

Among the best

Of the 8 cities where we can rate American Dipper sightings, Edmonton ranks 8th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, under 5%), Denver (United States, under 5%) and Calgary (Canada, under 5%).

Which relatives of the American Dipper live in Edmonton?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the American Dipper that you can see in Edmonton (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Black-billed Magpie (about 90%), Black-capped Chickadee (about 80%) and American Crow (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the American Dipper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the American Dipper is recorded against all the birds logged in Edmonton (25 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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