CreatureData

American dipper

Cinclus mexicanus Swainson, 1827

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) is a species in the family Cinclidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 54 g to 59.6 g and live up to 5.1 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)
Photo: dominic sherony · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the American dipper

Weight
54 g – 59.6 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
5.1 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
7.25 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
riverinesrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
16 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
4.08src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the American dipper live?

Not recorded

What is the American dipper?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a water ouzel, is a semiaquatic bird species native to western North America and parts of Central America.

From the Wikipedia article “American dipper” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_dipper&oldid=1380651543), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the American dipper endangered?

The American dipper is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the American dipper classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCinclidae
  6. genusCinclus
  7. SpeciesCinclus mexicanus Swainson, 1827

Synonyms Cinclus mortoni, Cinclus townsendi

Other names and names in other languages (52)
  • American water ouzelEnglish
  • Arctic water ouzelEnglish
  • Columbian water ouzelEnglish
  • North American dipperEnglish
  • Water ouzelEnglish
  • غطاس أمريكيArabic
  • Американски воден косBulgarian
  • Dourlaouig AmerikaBreton
  • Merla d'aigua americanaCatalan
  • merla d'aigua nord-americanaCatalan
  • skorec šedýCzech
  • trochwr llwydWelsh
  • Amerikansk VandstærDanish
  • GrauwasseramselGerman
  • amerika cinkloEsperanto
  • Nordamerika cinkloEsperanto
  • Mirlo Acuático PlomizoSpanish
  • Mirlo acuático americanoSpanish
  • Mirlo acuático norteamericanoSpanish
  • Mirlo-acuático norteamericanoSpanish
  • hall-vesipappEstonian
  • زیرآبروک آمریکاییPersian
  • amerikankoskikaraFinnish
  • Cincle d'AmériqueFrench
  • Cincle d’AmériqueFrench
  • Gabha liathIrish
  • אמודאי אמריקניHebrew
  • szürke vízirigóHungarian
  • Merlo acquaiolo americanoItalian
  • メキシコカワガラスJapanese
  • meksikinis vandeninis strazdasLithuanian
  • Amerikas ūdensstrazdsLatvian
  • Америка куплагыWestern Mari
  • Noord-Amerikaanse WaterspreeuwDutch
  • gråfossekallNorwegian
  • pluszcz meksykańskiPolish
  • امریکی چبی مارWestern Panjabi
  • Melro-d'água-mexicanoPortuguese
  • melro-d'água-americanoPortuguese
  • melro-de-água-americanoPortuguese
  • Серая оляпкаRussian
  • Американская оляпкаRussian
  • vodnár tmavýSlovak
  • Američki vodenkosSerbian
  • grå strömstareSwedish
  • Amerika DerekuşuTurkish
  • пронурок сірийUkrainian
  • Пронурок американськийUkrainian
  • Hét nước MỹVietnamese
  • 美洲河乌Chinese
  • 美洲河烏Chinese
  • 美洲河鳥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the American dipper

Other species in the same genus Cinclus.

CompareAmerican dipper vs White-throated dipperAmerican dipper vs Brown dipperAmerican dipper vs Rufous-throated dipperAmerican dipper vs White-capped dipper

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the American dipper?

An adult American dipper weighs 54 g – 59.6 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the American dipper endangered?

The American dipper is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the American dipper live?

The American dipper has a recorded lifespan of 5.1 years.

What kind of animal is the American dipper?

The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) belongs to the family Cinclidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-dipper

MLA

“American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-dipper.

BibTeX
@misc{american_dipper_2026,
  title = {American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-dipper},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}