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27-504: Turdidae white-throated dipper brown dipper American dipper white-capped dipper rufous-throated dipper Dippers are members of the genus Cinclus in the bird family Cinclidae , so-called because of their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater. The genus Cinclus was introduced by the German naturalist Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen in 1797 with

54-541: A capacity to store oxygen greater than that of other birds, allowing them to remain underwater for 30 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 forage for small animal prey in and along

81-465: A side entrance hole. They are often built in confined spaces over, or close to, running water. The site may be on a ledge or bank, in a crevice or drainpipe, or beneath a bridge. Tree sites are rare. The usual clutch-size of the three northern dipper species is four or five; those of the South American species is not well known, though some evidence suggests that of the rufous-throated dipper

108-674: A white-throated dipper is 10 years and 7 months for a bird ringed in Finland. The maximum age for an American dipper is 8 years and 1 month for a bird ringed and recovered in South Dakota. Dippers' calls are loud and high-pitched, being similar to calls made by other birds on fast rivers; the call frequencies lying within a narrow range of 4.0–6.5  kHz , well above the torrent noise frequency of maximum 2 kHz. Dippers also communicate visually by their characteristic dipping or bobbing movements, as well as by blinking rapidly to expose

135-614: Is an Old world flycatcher . The Amami thrush might, however, grow larger than the great thrush . Most species are grey or brown in colour, often with speckled underparts. They are insectivorous , but most species also eat worms, land snails , and fruit (usually berries ). Many species are permanently resident in warm climates, while others migrate to higher latitudes during the summer, often over considerable distances. Thrushes build cup-shaped nests , sometimes lining them with mud. They lay two to five speckled eggs, sometimes laying two or more clutches per year. Both parents help raise

162-445: Is brown with a reddish-brown throat patch. Sizes range from 14–22 cm (5.5–8.7 in) in length and 40–90 g (1.4–3.2 oz) in weight, with males larger than females. Their short wings give them a distinctive whirring flight. 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

189-404: Is dense, with a large preen gland for waterproofing their feathers. Relatively long legs and sharp claws enable them to hold on to rocks in swift water. Their eyes have well-developed focus muscles that can change the curvature of the lens to enhance underwater vision. They have nasal flaps to prevent water entering their nostrils. The high haemoglobin concentration in their blood gives them

216-463: Is two. The incubation period of 16 or 17 days is followed by the hatching of altricial young which are brooded by the female alone for the next 12 to 13 days. The nestlings are fed by both parents and the whole fledging period is about 20–24 days. Young dippers usually become independent of their parents within a couple of weeks of leaving the nest. Dippers may raise second broods if conditions allow. The maximum recorded age from ring-recovery data of

243-536: The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae . Molecular phylogenetic analysis has shown that the family Turdidae is a member of the superfamily Muscicapoidea and is sister to the family Muscicapidae . The two families diverged in the Miocene around 17 million years ago. The family formerly included more species. At the time of the publication of the third edition of Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of

270-553: The white-throated dipper ( Cinclus cinclus ) as the type species . The name cinclus is from the Ancient Greek word kinklos that was used to describe small tail-wagging birds that resided near water. Cinclus is the only genus in the family Cinclidae. The white-throated dipper and American dipper are also known in Britain and America, respectively, as the water ouzel (sometimes spelt "ousel") – ouzel originally meant

297-670: The Birds of the World in 2003, the genera Myophonus , Alethe , Brachypteryx and Heinrichia were included in Turdidae. Subsequent molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the species in these four genera are more closely related to species in the family Muscicapidae . As a consequence, these four genera are now placed in Muscicapidae. In contrast, the genus Cochoa which had previously been placed in Muscicapidae,

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324-417: The South American white-capped dipper and rufous-throated dipper. The study also showed that the dipper family, Cinclidae, is most closely related to the thrush family , Turdidae. Dippers are small, chunky, stout, short-tailed, short-winged, strong-legged birds. The different species are generally dark brown (sometimes nearly black), or brown and white in colour, apart from the rufous-throated dipper , which

351-487: The conservation status of most dipper species is considered to be of least concern . The one exception, the rufous-throated dipper, is classified as vulnerable because of its small, fragmented and declining population which is threatened, especially in Argentina, by changes in river management. Thrush (bird) The thrushes are a passerine bird family , Turdidae , with a worldwide distribution. The family

378-434: The feet or feathers of birds and in this way may travel long distances. Seeds of grasses, spores of algae, and the eggs of molluscs and other invertebrates commonly establish in remote areas after long journeys of this sort. The Turdidae have a great ecological importance because some populations migrate long distances and disperse the seeds of endangered plant species at new sites, helping to eliminate inbreeding and increasing

405-481: The genetic diversity of local flora. The family Turdidae was introduced (as Turdinia) by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. The taxonomic treatment of this large family has varied significantly in recent years. Traditionally, the Turdidae included the small Old World species, like the nightingale and European robin in the subfamily Saxicolinae, but most authorities now place this group in

432-424: The ground. The smallest thrush may be the shortwings , which have ambiguous alliances with both thrushes and Old World flycatchers . The lesser shortwing averages 12 cm ( 4 + 1 ⁄ 2  in). The largest thrush is the great thrush at 128 to 175 g ( 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 to 6 + 1 ⁄ 8  oz) and 28 to 33 cm (11 to 13 in); the larger, commonly recognized blue whistling thrush

459-403: The margins of fast-flowing freshwater streams and rivers. They perch on rocks and feed at the edge of the water, but they often also grip the rocks firmly and walk down them beneath the water until partly or wholly submerged. They then search underwater for prey between and beneath stones and debris; they can also swim with their wings. The two South American species swim and dive less often than

486-527: The only distantly related but superficially similar Eurasian blackbird ( Old English osle ). Ouzel also survives as the name of a relative of the blackbird, the ring ouzel . The genus contains five species: A 2002 molecular phylogenetic study of the dippers looked at the DNA sequences of two mitochondrial genes. It found that the Eurasian white-throated dipper and brown dipper are sister species as are

513-428: The pair must have a good nest site and roost sites, but the main factor affecting the length of the territory is the availability of sufficient food to feed themselves and their broods. Consequently, the length of a territory may vary from about 300 metres (1,000 feet) to over 2,500 metres (8,200 feet). Dipper nests are usually large, round, domed structures made of moss , with an internal cup of grass and rootlets, and

540-481: The parent plant individually or collectively, as well as dispersed in both space and time. Many bats and birds rely heavily on fruits for their diet, including birds in the families Cotingidae , Columbidae , Trogonidae , Turdidae, and Ramphastidae . While eating fruit, these animals swallow seeds and then later regurgitate them or pass them in their faeces. Such ornithochory has been a major mechanism of seed dispersal across ocean barriers. Other seeds may stick to

567-886: 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. Unlike many water birds, dippers are generally similar in form to many terrestrial birds (for example, they do not have webbed feet ), but they do have some morphological and physiological adaptations to their aquatic habits. They have evolved solid bones to reduce their buoyancy, and their wings are relatively short but strongly muscled, enabling them to be used as flippers underwater. The plumage

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594-478: The three northern ones. Their prey consists primarily of invertebrates such as the nymphs or larvae of mayflies , blackflies , stoneflies and caddisflies , as well as small fish and fish eggs. Molluscs and crustaceans are also consumed, especially in winter when insect larvae are less available. Linear breeding territories are established by pairs of dippers along suitable rivers, and maintained against incursion by other dippers. Within their territory

621-611: The white feathers on their upper eyelids as a series of white flashes in courtship and threat displays. 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

648-473: 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 . Despite threats to local populations,

675-514: The young. In almost all cases, the nest is placed on a branch; the only exceptions are the three species of bluebird , which nest in holes. Turdidae species spread the seeds of plants, contributing to the dispersal of many species and the recovery of ecosystems. Plants have limited seed dispersal mobility away from the parent plant and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from

702-497: Was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World flycatchers . Thrushes are small to medium-sized ground living birds that feed on insects, other invertebrates, and fruit. Some unrelated species around the world have been named after thrushes due to their similarity to birds in this family. Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds that inhabit wooded areas and often feed on

729-687: Was shown to belong in Turdidae. The family contains 191 species, which are divided into 17 genera: The thrush is one of the many kinds of small bird that have in the past been trapped and eaten in much of Europe; the practice is now rare. Among traditional ways of cooking thrush were with polenta or grilled on a skewer, in Italy; with juniper berries in Belgium; and made into a pâté or terrine . The French cook and cookery writer Marie-Antoine Carême recommended cooking thrushes in crépinettes and serving with sauce Périgueux . Forage While

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