Dipper or Ouzel WESTERN BIRDS 



GENUS CINCLUS : DIPPER OR WATER 

 OUZEL. 



Dipper or Water Ouzel: Cinclus mexicanus 

 unicolor. 



FAMILY— CINCLIDiE: DIPPERS. 



In the Water Ouzel, or Dipper, we have a bird that 

 is distinctively western and absolutely unique in plum- 

 age and actions. It is a dweller in mountain canyons 

 where cataracts and crystal streams rush downward, 

 breeding from near timber limit in northwestern Alaska 

 south to northern Lower California and southern New 

 Mexico; accidental in the Black Hills, South Dakota, 

 and western Nebraska. 



The bird is about seven inches long and is chunky, 

 having a short, slender, compressed bill; the wings short, 

 stiff, and rounded; the tail shorter than wings, and the 

 claws strongly curved. 



The adults in summer plumage are a nearly uniform 

 slate gray, which is a trifle lighter below, the head and 

 neck being faintly tinged with brown. The yellowish 

 feet and the white eyelids, which show as the bird winks, 

 are the only relief in this somber costume. In winter 

 the old birds have the feathers of wings and under parts 

 slightly tipped with white. The young resemble the 

 winter plumage of adults, having the under parts tinged 

 with rusty and somewhat more of the white. 



Not only does this dull coloration blend perfectly with 

 the rocks, dead timber, and dark shadows of the moun- 

 tain canyons where this bird makes its home, but the 

 compact form and fine water-proof plumage enables it 



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