American Dipper
Cinclus mexicanus
Unmistakable plump passerine. Slaty-gray overall with a browner head. Juveniles are slightly paler below than adults. Forages for invertebrates by walking underwater. Inhabits fast-moving rocky streams in western North America, from Alaska to Panama. Often nests under bridges. Unique shape, behavior, and strict habitat preferences make American Dipper unlikely to be confused with any other species.
识别特征
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.<p>The song consists of high whistles or trills peee peee pijur pijur repeated a few times. Both sexes of this bird sing year round.
分类信息
The American dipper was described by the English zoologist William Swainson in 1827 based on a specimen that had been collected in Mexico by the English naturalist William Bullock. Swainson placed the new species with the dippers in the genus Cinclus and coined the current binomial name Cinclus mexicanus. The type locality is Temascaltepec de González in Mexico.<p>There are five subspecies:
- 学名
- Cinclus mexicanus
- 命名信息
- Swainson, 1827
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Cinclidae
- 属
- Cinclus
分布与栖息地
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.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
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.<p>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.<p>It feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, including dragonfly nymphs, small crayfish, and caddisfly larvae. It may also take tiny fish or tadpoles.<p>Dippers may occasionally be preyed on by predatory fish such as by brook trout, bull or Dolly Varden trout.<p>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."
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Black-headed Antthrush
Formicarius nigricapillus
Antthrushes are rotund creatures that walk along the forest floor with a bobbing gait. They have short tails that are usually cocked straight up. Black-headed is very dark overall, browner toward the rear with a blacker head. Also note the teardrop-shaped pale skin around the eye. Secretive and difficult to spot, although sometimes seen walking along forest trails. Far more often heard than seen. Listen for fast whistled song, a fairly long series of notes rising in pitch.
Red-faced Pytilia
Pytilia hypogrammica
An unusual and pretty member of the waxbill family. Shows fine buff barring below, mostly yellow wings, and red on the rump and tail. Males have a red face and females an entirely gray head. Found in moist broadleaf woodland, overgrown cultivation, and thickets, often along rivers. Generally uncommon and inconspicuous, seen singly or in pairs. Sometimes joins flocks with other birds. Similar to Green-winged and Red-winged Pytilias, but separated by the yellow wing. The call is a simple “teew” note.
Ayres's Hawk-Eagle
Hieraaetus ayresii
Small black-and-white eagle. Has a compact, powerful shape, and the hint of a crest. The upperparts are black, and there are heavy black markings on the underparts and evenly across the underwing. Found in thick woodland and forest. Soars frequently. Call is a loud, repeated “kwee-ya.” Similar to other hawk-eagles, but has more heavily marked underparts. Easily separated in flight, when Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle shows black barring across the entire underwing.
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