White-throated dipper
Cinclus cinclus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), also called the Dipper, is a bird in the family Cinclidae, order Passeriformes, within the songbirds and other perching birds. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 61.47 g, ranging from 57.08 g to 66.33 g, and a wingspan of 28 cm.
Quick facts about the white-throated dipper
This sedentary carnivore is an aquatic predator of riverine habitats, with a geographic range of 8,500,000 km². It lays 4.5 eggs per clutch with 2 clutches per year, incubates its eggs for 16 days, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Weight
- 57.1 g – 66.3 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 28 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 10.6 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 10.6 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- riverinesrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 16 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.52src 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
How big is the white-throated dipper?
Photos of the white-throated dipper
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the white-throated dipper live?
Not recorded
What is the white-throated dipper?
The white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), also known as the European dipper or just dipper, is an aquatic, passerine bird found in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. The species is divided into several subspecies, based primarily on colour differences, particularly of the pectoral band.
From the Wikipedia article “White-throated dipper” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-throated_dipper&oldid=1357422918), 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.
What does the white-throated dipper sound like?
Is the white-throated dipper endangered?
The white-throated dipper is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the white-throated dipper classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCinclidae
- genusCinclus
- SpeciesCinclus cinclus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Aquatilis cinclus, Cinclus aquaticus albiventris, Cinclus cinclus beicki, Cinclus cinclus meridionalis, Cinclus cinclus pyrenaicus, Cinclus cinclus sapsworthi, Cinclus cinclus szetschwanensis, Cinclus europaeus, Cinclus hydrophilus, Cinclus linnéi, Cinclus lutans, Cinclus melanogaster, Cinclus meridionalis, Cinclus peregrinus, Cinclus rufipectoralis, Cinclus rupestris, Cinclus rupestris, Cinclus septentrionalis, Cinclus younghusbandi, Hydrobata albicollis, Hydrobata cinclus, Sturnus cinclus, Sturnus cinctus, Tringa cinclus minor, Turdus cinclus
Other names and names in other languages (113)
- DipperEnglish
- دنكلةArabic
- غطاس أبيض الحنجرةArabic
- غطاس أبيض حنجرةArabic
- Torda aguaderaAragonese
- culapaAsturian
- LlavaculosAsturian
- Adi su sərçəsiAzerbaijani
- Һыу турғайыBashkir
- АляпкаBelarusian
- ГурлюBulgarian
- Воден косBulgarian
- Dourlaouig-splujBreton
- Merla d'aiguaCatalan
- merla d'aigua europeaCatalan
- ВӹдлагыMari
- КуплагыMari
- skorec vodníCzech
- Zwëczajny plëszczKashubian
- Bronwen y DwrWelsh
- Bronwen y DŵrWelsh
- Bronwennod y DwrWelsh
- VandstærDanish
- WasseramselGerman
- Eurasische WasseramselGerman
- ΝεροκότσυφαςGreek
- Ευρωπαϊκός ΝεροκότσυφαςGreek
- eŭropa cinkloEsperanto
- Mirlo acuático europeoSpanish
- Mirlo-acuático EuropeoSpanish
- vesipappEstonian
- Ur-zozoBasque
- زیرآبروکPersian
- زیرآبروک گردنسفیدPersian
- koskikaraFinnish
- ÁarkallurFaroese
- Merle d'eauFrench
- Cincle aquatiqueFrench
- Cincle plongeurFrench
- CorvatFriulian
- Gabha dubhIrish
- Gabha gealphíbeachIrish
- lon-uisgeScottish Gaelic
- Gobha uisgeScottish Gaelic
- gobha-uisgeScottish Gaelic
- gobhan-uiseScottish Gaelic
- loin-uisgeScottish Gaelic
- Merlo acuáticoGalician
- Merlo rieiro europeoGalician
- Gaaue dooManx
- Lhon ushteyManx
- YryvuGuarani
- કાગડોGujarati
- אמודאי אירופיHebrew
- אמודאי הנחליםHebrew
- काला कौआHindi
- vízirigóHungarian
- ՕլյապկաArmenian
- FossbúiIcelandic
- Merlo acquaioloItalian
- ムナジロカワガラスJapanese
- ჩვეულებრივი წყლის შაშვიGeorgian
- ПсыбзуKabardian
- Кәдімгі сушылқараKazakh
- ВасизьKomi
- Molgh dowrCornish
- WaassermärelLuxembourgish
- Цин кардLezghian
- paprastasis vandeninis strazdasLithuanian
- Vandeninis strazdasLithuanian
- ūdensstrazdsLatvian
- воден ќосMacedonian
- Għasfur tax-XmajjarMaltese
- Гялааномруут харзлайMongolian
- कावळाMarathi
- सेतोकण्ठे वञ्जुलNepali
- WaterspreeuwDutch
- fossekallNorwegian
- Koskikanaolo
- ДондзиуOssetic
- Pluszcz zwyczajnyPolish
- pluszczPolish
- pluszcz (zwyczajny)Polish
- Melro-d'água-comumPortuguese
- Melro-d'águaPortuguese
- Melro-d'água-eurasiáticoPortuguese
- melro-d'água-europeuPortuguese
- melro-de-água-eurasiáticoPortuguese
- Misti tarajchiQuechua
- Corv grondRomansh
- Mierlă de apăRomanian
- Pescărel negruRomanian
- ОляпкаRussian
- दग्धकाकःSanskrit
- GuoikgáritNorthern Sami
- GuoikgáhritNorthern Sami
- vodnár potočnýSlovak
- povodni kosSlovenian
- Mëllenjë ujitAlbanian
- VodenkosSerbian
- strömstareSwedish
- KunguruSwahili
- QuzğunTatar
- GargaTurkmen
- Su KuşuTurkish
- DerekuşuTurkish
- Дедей-кушTuvinian
- ПронурокUkrainian
- пронурок біловолийUkrainian
- Chim lội suốiVietnamese
- 河乌Chinese
- 白喉河乌Chinese
- 白喉河烏Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the white-throated dipper
Other species in the same genus Cinclus.
Brown dipper
Cinclus pallasii
American dipper
Cinclus mexicanus
Rufous-throated dipper
Cinclus schulzii
White-capped dipper
Cinclus leucocephalus
CompareWhite-throated dipper vs Brown dipperWhite-throated dipper vs American dipperWhite-throated dipper vs Rufous-throated dipperWhite-throated dipper vs White-capped dipper
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the white-throated dipper?
The white-throated dipper is a bird in the family Cinclidae and order Passeriformes, part of the songbirds and other perching birds.
How much does a white-throated dipper weigh?
An adult White-throated dipper weighs 61.47 g, with reported values from 57.08 g to 66.33 g. Its wingspan is 28 cm.
What does the white-throated dipper eat?
The white-throated dipper is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.
What habitat does the white-throated dipper live in?
The white-throated dipper lives in riverine habitats and is sedentary.
Is the white-throated dipper endangered?
No. The white-throated dipper is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a white-throated dipper live?
The white-throated dipper has a lifespan of 10.58 years, with values up to 10.6 years reported.
How many eggs does the white-throated dipper lay?
The white-throated dipper lays 4.5 eggs per clutch and has 2 clutches per year, with an incubation period of 16 days. It reaches sexual maturity at 1 year.
Who named the white-throated dipper?
The white-throated dipper, Cinclus cinclus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). White-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-throated-dipper
“White-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-throated-dipper.
@misc{white_throated_dipper_2026,
title = {White-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-throated-dipper},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}