Breeding pairs: 6,200 – 18,700 pairs
Family: Dippers
The adult dipper has a dark, slate-grey back with a scaled effect. On the underparts, the breast is white with a narrow chestnut band, and the belly and vent are grey-brown. The wings and tail are dark brown.
On the head, the top of the face and nape are chestnut brown, and the chin and throat are white. The bill is black, the eyes are brown with a pale eyelid, and the legs and feet are dark brown. Male and female dippers are similar.
The juvenile is like the adult, but greyer on the upperparts and the white on the under parts is speckled with grey. The legs and feet are pink.
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Dippers nest very close to water, using cavities in banks, holes in walls or trees. Both sexes build the nest which is large and domed and made from mosses, grasses, leaves and hair.
Dippers lay 4-6 white eggs in March or April which are incubated by the female for 14-16 days. Males may feed the female at the nest.
Chicks are fed by both parents and fledge at 20-24 days
Dippers feed on insects and larvae, small crustaceans and molluscs. They will sometimes also eat worms, tadpoles and small fishes.
Dippers are able to walk into and under water in search of food.
Dippers are found alongside fast-flowing rivers mainly in upland areas but also on lowland rivers in south west England.
Britain's Birds
RSPB Handbook Of British Birds
Collins Bird Guide
Dippers use their nest sites for generations; one such site was reportedly used for over 120 years.
