Cinclus mexicanus
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Dipper sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 1,409 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 223 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.
October to January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an American Dipper in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month.
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.
4th of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate American Dipper sightings, Rocky Mountain National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. 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 Rocky Mountain National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Mountain Chickadee (about 80%), American Robin (about 70%) and Black-billed Magpie (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 Rocky Mountain National Park (1,409 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.
