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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

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Maximum longevity: 7.2 years (wild)
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Behavior

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Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Shirley Porteous-Gafford, Fresno City College
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Conservation Status

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IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Benefits

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None

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Shirley Porteous-Gafford, Fresno City College
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Benefits

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None

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Shirley Porteous-Gafford, Fresno City College
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Trophic Strategy

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The American Dipper feeds on freshwater invertebrates, especially insect larvae, and very small fish. They have also been known to feed on small aquatic plants.

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Shirley Porteous-Gafford, Fresno City College
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Distribution

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Cinclus mexicanus, the American Dipper, can be found in the mountains of western North America from lower California to northern Alaska. It is also found in Mexico south to Panama. The American Dipper never leaves the company of water. During winter, they sometimes become more common in the lower reaches of the streams on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada (California). In California, Dippers range in elevation from sea level along the central and northern coast, to over 9,000 feet in the central Sierra Nevada, and upwards to 10,000 feet in the White Mountains. Wanderers occasionally exceed 12,000 feet in the central Sierra Nevada. (Schoenherr 1995, Small 1994)

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Habitat

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American Dippers prefer swift, clear, cold, permanent streams, especially those with large boulders, tumbling waterfalls, steep cliffs and ledges which can be used as sheltered nest sites. These sites are often located under the waterfalls. Man-made culverts, bridges, and small dams may also be utilized as nest sites. Where such streams flow into clear lakes and ponds, Dippers are often found foraging along the edges of the latter as well. Primary life zones for breeding are Canadian (and occasionally in the upper Sonoran), often extending upwards into the Hudsonian or even higher. The elevation range is from sea level along the central and northern coast, to over 9,000 feet in the central Sierra Nevada, and upwards to 10,000 feet in the White Mountains of California. Wanderers occasionally exceed 12,000 feet in the central Sierra Nevada of California.

(Small 1994)

Terrestrial Biomes: mountains

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Life Expectancy

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Average lifespan
Status: wild:
86 months.

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Morphology

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Adult American Dippers grow to roughly 18 cm (7 in.) in length from beak to tail. In the spring, adults are slaty or deep neutral grey on their body, brown on their head and neck, and a darker gray to almost black on their wings and tail. The upper eyelids are touched with a narrow border of white feathers, and their bill is black. Their feet are yellow in color.

During the fall and winter, the colors of adults and immature males and females change. The feathers of underparts become margined with white, and they also have white edging on the wings. The bill turns to a light brown. Young American Dippers are a much lighter color on their stomach compared to the adults. The throat is nearly white, the wing feathers and occasionally tail feathers extensivily are white. Their bill is yellow.

This dipper has large oil glands to help waterproof feathers, and nasal flaps that allow it to close the nostrils under water (Welty 1982)

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Average mass: 50.2 g.

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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Reproduction

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The mating ritual consists of the male stretching his neck upward, bill vertical, wings down, partially spread. The male then struts and sings before the female. If the song is right, the male and female will perform together ending the song with their breasts touching.

The American Dipper produces about four to five eggs that are 26 mm x 19 mm in size. The incubation period lasts about 16 days. After birth, the young dipper will remain about 24-25 days under the parents care.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous

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Camoroda, A. 2001. "Cinclus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cinclus_mexicanus.html
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Anthony Camoroda, Fresno City College
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American dipper

provided by wikipedia EN

The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a water ouzel, is a semiaquatic bird species native to western North America.

Description

It is a stocky dark 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. It is 16.5 cm (6.5 in) long, has a wingspan of 23 cm (9.1 in),[2] and weighs on average 46 g (1.6 oz). The name "dipper" derives from its long legs, which it uses to bob its whole body up and down during pauses as it feeds on the bottom of fast-moving, rocky streams.

Taxonomy

The American dipper was described by the English zoologist William John Swainson in 1827 and given the binomial name Cinclus mexicanus.[3] The type locality is Temascaltepec de González in Mexico.[4]

There are five subspecies:[5]

  • C. m. mexicanus Swainson, 1827 – north and central Mexico
  • C. m. anthonyi Griscom, 1930 – southeast Mexico, southwest Guatemala, east Honduras and northwest Nicaragua
  • C. m. ardesiacus Salvin, 1867 – Costa Rica and west Panama
  • C. m. dickermani Phillips, AR, 1966 – south Mexico
  • C. m. unicolor Bonaparte, 1827 – Alaska, west Canada and west USA

Description

This species, like other dippers, is equipped with an extra eyelid called a nictitating membrane that allows it to see underwater, and scales that close its nostrils when submerged. Dippers also produce more oil than most birds, which may help keep them warmer when seeking food underwater.

The song consists of high whistles or trills peee peee pijur pijur repeated a few times. Both sexes of this bird sing year round.

Distribution and habitat

The American dipper inhabits the mountainous regions of Central America and western North America from Panama to Alaska. It is usually a permanent resident, moving slightly south or to lower elevations if necessary to find food or unfrozen water. The presence of this indicator species shows good water quality; it has vanished from some locations due to pollution or increased silt load in streams.

Behaviour and ecology

The American dipper defends a linear territory along streams. In most of its habits, it closely resembles its European counterpart, the white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), which is also sometimes known as a water ouzel.

Breeding

The American dipper's nest is a globe-shaped structure with a side entrance, close to water, on a rock ledge, river bank, behind a waterfall or under a bridge. The normal clutch is 2–4 white eggs, incubated solely by the female, which hatch after about 15–17 days, with another 20–25 days to fledging. The male helps to feed the young. The maximum recorded age from ring-recovery data of an American dipper is 8 years and 1 month for a bird ringed and recovered in South Dakota.[6]

Feeding

It feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, including dragonfly nymphs, small crayfish, and caddisfly larvae. It may also take tiny fish or tadpoles.

Predators

Dippers may occasionally be preyed on by predatory fish such as by brook trout, bull or Dolly Varden trout.[7][8]

History

The American dipper, previously known as the water-ouzel, was the favorite bird of famous naturalist John Muir. He dedicated an entire chapter in his book The Mountains of California to the ouzel stating "He is the mountain streams' own darling, the humming-bird of blooming waters, loving rocky ripple-slopes and sheets of foam as a bee loves flowers, as a lark loves sunshine and meadows. Among all the mountain birds, none has cheered me so much in my lonely wanderings, —none so unfailingly. For both in winter and summer he sings, sweetly, cheerily, independent alike of sunshine and of love, requiring no other inspiration than the stream on which he dwells. While water sings, so must he, in heat or cold, calm or storm, ever attuning his voice in sure accord; low in the drought of summer and the drought of winter, but never silent."[9]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Cinclus mexicanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22708163A94152063. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22708163A94152063.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Oiseaux.net. "Cincle d'Amérique - Cinclus mexicanus - American Dipper". www.oiseaux.net. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  3. ^ Swainson, William John (1827). "A synopsis of birds discovered in Mexico by W. Bullock F.L.S. and H.S. and Mr. William Bullock, jun". Philosophical Magazine. New series. 1: 364–370 [368]. doi:10.1080/14786442708674330.
  4. ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 378.
  5. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Dippers, leafbirds, flowerpeckers, sunbirds". World Bird List Version 9.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Longevity Records of North American Birds". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  7. ^ Elliott, Charles L.; Peck, Steve (1980). "Dipper swallowed by trout" (PDF). Wilson Bull. 92: 524.
  8. ^ Johnson, N. K. (1953). "Dipper eaten by Brook trout". Condor. 55: 158.
  9. ^ "American Dipper or Water-Ouzel". USDA Forest Service - Boise National Forest. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  • Erlich et al. The Birder's Handbook
  • Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4

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American dipper: Brief Summary

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The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a water ouzel, is a semiaquatic bird species native to western North America.

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