Cinclus mexicanus
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 277 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 237th most-seen of the 467 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Dipper in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and September–April, the lowest months.
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.
16th of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate American Dipper sightings, Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park ranks 16th at under 5%. 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 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 60%), Clay-colored Thrush (about 60%) and Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager (about 50%), 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 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (277 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.
