Scientific name: Cinclus cinclus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Dippers and Wrens
Field characters. 18 cm. Only songbird in Europe that is adapted to life on and in water. Head and neck chocolate-brown; upperparts, tail and wings dark slate grey-brown; throat and chest pure white, strongly contrasting with rest of plumage; rest of underparts dark, with a variable amount of maroon on upper belly. Juvenile has similar plumage pattern as adult, but dark parts with obvious light edges and white chest obscured with brown feather edgings. Often seen sitting motionless on stone in fast flowing brook or river, then suddenly and unexpectedly plunging in the water and diving or floating around.
Voice. Song reminiscent of Wren's, but not as loud nor as melodious; common calls are a metallic "clinc-clinc" (often uttered on wing) and a loud, rapid "zitzitzit".
Distribution. Fairly common resident; rare where only winter visitor. Numbers are decreasing locally due to pollution.
Habitat. Predominantly found in more elevated regions in clear, shallow, fast-flowing rivers and rivulets with gravel, boulders and scarce vegetation on banks. Ambient temperature unimportant as long as water remains partly ice-free. Nests in immediate vicinity of stream in cracks of bankside rocks and human artefacts (e.g. below bridges).
Food. Predominantly aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles and small fish. Under water, walks along riverbed whilst turning stones or "flies" with powerful wing-beats.