American Dipper 475 



Description. — Adult — General colour throughout pale slaty-grey, 

 faintly tinged with brown on the head and neck, which, according to 

 Drew, is slightly bronzed and metallic in spring ; below slightly paler 

 than above ; iris brown, bill black, legs horny brown. Length 6-75 ; 

 wing 3-75; tail 2 0; culmen -70; tarsus 1-20. 



The sexes are alike ; in autumn the feathers of the under-parts and 

 most of the wings are very narrowly margined with white, and the 

 bill is pale horny brown. Young birds are still more noticeably mottled 

 with white below; the throat mainly, sometimes entirely white. 



Distribution. — The Rocky Mountains in their widest sense, from 

 Alaska to western Texas and southern California, including the Black 

 Hills of Dakota. A resident throughout its range. 



In Colorado the Dipper is generally to be found throughout the 

 mountainous western half of the State wherever suitable conditions 

 exist. It ranges from the foothills at about 5,000 feet to timber line, 

 11,500 feet, and though generally found at slightly lower elevations 

 in winter, this is by no means invariably the case. It has been 

 observed by Gilmore (Cooke) at the head waters of Clear Creek, 

 10,500 feet, on December 15th, and about timber line at Berthoud Pass, 

 11,500 feet, on October 3rd. On the other hand, in summer it has 

 been found nesting at various elevations from 5,000 to 11,000 feet, so 

 that it can hardly be said to be a regular vertical migrant. 



It has been recorded from most of the mountainous parts of the 

 state from Estes Park (Pearce & Kellogg) to the Wet Mountains 

 (Lowe), and on the western slopes from Glenwood Springs (Cooke) 

 and Mesa co. (Rockwell) to La Plata co. (Gilman). 



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Habits. — The remarkable aquatic habits of the Dipper 

 render it quite unique among the Passerine birds. This 

 and its curious nesting ways have caused a number of 

 observers to pay special attention to it, as is shown by 

 the long list of Colorado records. The notes of Dennis 

 Gale, which, through the kindness of the authorities of 

 the University of Colorado at Boulder, I have been able 

 to make use of, are full of observations on the Dipper, 

 and the following account is largely based on these. 



The Dipper, sometimes called the Water-Ouzel, and 

 locally in Colorado often knoMn as the Water-Turkey, 

 is found only along the rushing mountain streams, which 

 it seldom leaves, and which it follows up, skimming 



