Bird
🐦
🐦
Size
18 cmSimilar to a large wren but rounder
Weight
55–75 gAbout the weight of a small apple
Lifespan
3 years
Rarity
Uncommon
M vs F
Sexes look identical — both stocky and dark brown with a brilliant white bib and chestnut belly
Habitat
Fast-flowing, clean upland rivers and streams — a strict indicator of water quality
Best time
Year-round; song heard February–July
Conservation
UK: Green
LC
💡 Did you know?
The Dipper is the only songbird in the world that routinely walks underwater on the riverbed, using water pressure and wing movements to stay submerged while picking invertebrates from the gravel
They have extra-dense feathers, a very low metabolic rate, and haemoglobin adapted for oxygen storage — a suite of physiological adaptations convergent with diving birds like ducks
Often confused with
Kingfisher (much smaller
bright orange and blue)
Grey Wagtail (yellow-green
wagging tail
does not submerge)
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