Cinclus leucocephalus
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The white-capped dipper (Cinclus leucocephalus) is a semiaquatic passerine bird of South America. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The white-capped dipper was described by the Swiss naturalist Johann Jakob von Tschudi in 1844 with the binomial Cinclus leucocephalus, which it has retained ever since. The type locality is the Junín Province in Peru. The specific epithet leucocephalus combines the Ancient Greek leukos "white" and -kephalos "-headed". Of the five species now placed in the genus, a molecular genetic study has shown that the white-capped dipper is most closely related to the other South American species, the rufous-throated dipper (Cinclus schulzii).
The white-capped dipper has these three subspecies: The sexes have the same plumage, but males are slightly larger than females. Adults of the nominate subspecies C. l. leucocephalus have a white crown and nape that sometimes have blackish brown streaks... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arequipa | 🇵🇪 Peru |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-capped Dipper sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 570 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 95th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-capped Dipper in Los Nevados National Natural 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 White-capped 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate White-capped Dipper sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the White-capped Dipper that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 80%), Great Thrush (about 70%) and Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-capped Dipper is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (570 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.
