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When hiking high in the mountains, people may sometimes see a dull colored gray bird by a mountain stream and may not think twice about it. But, the American dipper is a truly amazing bird. The dipper dives in the bone chilling cold streams to catch food. It eats aquatic insects, worms, and small fish. The bird often dips under the water, comes back up, and dips its head under the water again looking for food, thus the name dipper. More amazingly, It can walk underwater on the bottom of the stream looking under rocks for food. It also uses its wings to swim and catch food. Its warm thick set of feathers keep it warm. In the winter time, the bird may head down the stream to the foothills and montane life zones.
Snowmelt water flowing down the mountain can have lots of force or strength. Many people have been seriously hurt trying to cross small mountain streams only to be surprised at the waters strong power and slipping on wet rocks. Aside from the possible serious injuries from the fall, the hiker will get to experience the frigid water. The water seems like it instantly sucks all your body heat away and a person might think it is so cold that it should still be ice. If a person is not careful, he or she may get hypothermia from being wet and cold. For such a small bird to live and thrive in streams with strong current and bone chilling cold water, makes the American dipper one remarkable bird.
Sources of information and to find more information: All About Birds, South Dakota Birds, Bird Web, CSU
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