Dipper

• Small (18cm)
• A white throat and breast contrasts with otherwise dark grey-brown plumage.
• A distinctive short tail.
• Watch for that tell-tale ‘dipping’ action and a stout bird diving into fast-flowing streams.

Dippers are on the Amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern in the UK. Their numbers have followed a general downward trend over the last several decades and we need to work to prevent further loss.

These stunning little birds are world-class diving dynamos. The UK’s only aquatic songbird, Dippers are never found too far away from a fast-flowing freshwater stream. There, they wile away the hours performing daring underwater raids for tasty insect larvae and freshwater shrimps.

You might think Dippers get their name from their fondness of taking a dip in the water. However, it actually comes from the delightful bobbing action, or ‘dip’, that the birds perform when on land.