DSC7527 Dipper.. - a photo on Flickriver

DSC7527 Dipper..

            Dipper - Cinclus Cinclus
aka Water Ouzel

Dippers are members of the genus Cinclus in the bird family Cinclidae, named for their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater.

They have a characteristic bobbing motion when perched beside the water, giving them their name. While under water, they are covered by a thin, silvery film of air, due to small bubbles being trapped on the surface of the plumage.

Dippers are found in suitable freshwater habitats in the highlands of the Americas, Europe and Asia. In Africa they are only found in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. They inhabit the banks of fast-moving upland rivers with cold, clear waters, though, outside the breeding season, they may visit lake shores and sea coasts.

The high haemoglobin concentration in their blood gives them a capacity to store oxygen greater than that of other birds, allowing them to remain underwater for thirty seconds or more, whilst their basal metabolic rate is approximately one-third slower than typical terrestrial passerines of similar mass. One small population wintering at a hot spring in Suntar-Khayata Mountains of Siberia feeds underwater when air temperatures drop below −55 °C (−67 °F).

Dippers are completely dependent on fast-flowing rivers with clear water, accessible food and secure nest-sites. They may be threatened by anything that affects these needs such as water pollution, acidification and turbidity caused by erosion. River regulation through the creation of dams and reservoirs, as well as channelization, can degrade and destroy dipper habitat.

Dippers are also sometimes hunted or otherwise persecuted by humans for various reasons. The Cyprus race of the white-throated dipper is extinct. In the Atlas Mountains dippers are claimed to have aphrodisiacal properties. In parts of Scotland and Germany, until the beginning of the 20th century, bounties were paid for killing dippers because of a misguided perception that they were detrimental to fish stocks through predation on the eggs and fry of salmonids.

Population:

UK breeding:

6,200-18,700 pairs

Taken on: April 26, 2021

Tags:

Dipper

Dippers

Waterways

Water Ouzel

Avian

Animal

Animals

Wildlife.

Wildbirds

Wetlands

Wildlife Photography

Jeff Lack Photography

Reservoirs

River Birds

Rivers

River-Banks

Estuaries

Estuary

Streams

Countryside

Canals

Lakes

Nature

Nature Photography

Nikon

Ornithology

NGC

NPC « less

Sets appears in: • Dipper

Groups appears in: • Wildlife Photography • UK Nature more » • Water Birds • UK Wildlife Trusts • Unlimited Birds • TMI: your ART & NATURE **NO PEOPLE OR MAN-MADE OBJECTS** P1♥C1 • Wings Of The World • The Worlds Best Nature, Wildlife, And Macro Photography • The European Nature And Wildlife Group • Beautiful Birds • BBC Wales Nature & Landscapes • Ultimate Wildlife Photography-NO SCENICS OR BOTANY PICS PLEASE • Official National Geographic Group • Nikon Nature Photography • Wildlife UK • Avian Photography • !*Flickr Award Group*! (GIVE 5 AWARDS) • Wales Birders • #4 PLATINUM WILDLIFE/ Post 1 - Award 1 (P2-A2) with CODE • the RSPB • BBC Springwatch (Official) • Photographing Birds • Wildlife of the British Isles • Nikon - Nature • Nature's Golden Carousel ~ Closed! • RSPB Love Nature • World of Birds • *Specialist Nature & Wildlife Photographers* (P1 - A2) • UK - Wildlife & Nature • Outstanding Bird Photography - P1 - A3 (Admin Invite Only) • AWESOME BIRDS ! (Award 2 Please) • Nikon WILDLIFE & NATURE • Uk birdwatchers • #3 PALLADIUM WILDLIFE/ Post 1 - Award 5 (P2-A10) with CODE • Wild Bird Photography • Welsh Wildlife Group • Best Bird Photographers • BBC Wildlife aspirations • Spectacular Bird Photos • *Feathers & Beaks* P1 - A3 • The Best Wildlife Photography on Planet Earth. • Audubon magazine • #2 18K Gold wildlife/ Post 1 - Award 3 (P2-A6) with CODE • arbor square ~ A Nature Group ~ P1/C2 • Avian Wonders • World of Wildlife • UK wild life watching • Nikon Nature • RSPB Cymru Photo Group • AVES DEL MUNDO -- BIRDS OF THE WORLD -- OISEAUX DU MONDE • Our Wonderful and Fragile World - P1 - A4 • Wildlife and Landscape Photography • Treasures of the World • Wildlife Sightings UK • The Wonderful Wildlife UK • This is Nature • Worldwide Fauna • The World of Birds • Taken in Wales • NATURE'S KALEIDOSCOPE P1 X A1 • Stunning wildlife • The Best of British Birds and Wildlife • WildPlanet • Specialists' Choice Nature & Wildlife (P1 - A2) • South Wales Wildlife Photography • The Specialists' Hall of Fame « less

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