Devon Wildlife Trust A medium-sized, plump bird, the dipper is often seen sitting on a stone in a river or stream, bobbing up and down. It can be found around fast-flowing streams and rivers, mostly in upland areas, but also in South West England. It feeds on underwater invertebrates, such as stonefly and caddis fly larvae, by walking straight into, and completely under, the water to find them.
How to Identify
The dipper is a short-tailed, chocolate-brown bird, with a white throat and chest.
RSPB The dipper is a short-tailed, plump bird with a low, whirring flight. When perched on a rock it habitually bobs up and down and frequently cocks its tail. Its white throat and breast contrasts with its dark body plumage. It is remarkable in its method of walking into and under water in search of food.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/dipper/
Devon Birds: Search the Devon Birds website for recent sightings of Dippers in Devon.
Devon Biodiversity Record Centre Submit your sightings of Dippers and other species in Devon
https://www.dbrc.org.uk/wildlife-sightings/
A Dipper on the Little Dart River by Chawleigh Week Clapper Bridge, 30th May 2020 (photo by Grant Sherman)
National Biodiversity Network Cinclus cinclus
The NBN Atlas is a collaborative project that aggregates biodiversity data from multiple sources and makes it available and usable online. It is the UK’s largest collection of freely available biodiversity data.
https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NHMSYS0000530289
Wikipedia: The white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), also known as the European dipper or just dipper, is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The species is divided into several subspecies, based primarily on colour differences, particularly of the pectoral band. The white-throated dipper is Norway's national bird.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-throated_dipper
eBird: Fairly common along unpolluted rivers and streams, almost always near running water. Mainly found in foothills and uplands, rarely in flatlands or coastal plains unless some running water is nearby. Usually encountered as singles feeding inconspicuously among rocks and pools; swims readily and even dives underwater. Often bobs persistently when standing, and flies strongly and low over the water, with whirring wingbeats. No similar species in Europe: note plump shape and contrasting, bright white bib; belly is rusty brown on British birds, blackish on Continental birds.
