American Dipper

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Grand Teton National Park
359 Verified sightings at Grand Teton National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,558 Verified sightings across all 16 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the American Dipper

The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a water ouzel, is a semiaquatic bird species native from North America. The American dipper is a stocky, grey bird with a head sometimes tinged with brown, and white feathers on the eyelids that cause the eyes to flash white as the bird blinks. On average, it measures 16.5 cm (6.5 in) in length, has a wingspan of 23 cm (9.1 in), and weighs 46 g (1.6 oz).

The American dipper was described by English zoologist William Swainson in 1827 based on a specimen that had been collected in Mexico by English naturalist William Bullock. Swainson placed the new species with the dippers in the genus Cinclus and coined the current binomial name Cinclus mexicanus. The type locality is Temascaltepec de González in Mexico.

The five subspecies are: C. m. mexicanus Swainson, 1827 – north and central Mexico C. m. anthonyi Griscom, 1930 – southeast Mexico, southwest Guatemala, east Honduras and northwest Nicaragua C. m. ardesiacus Salvin, 1867 – Costa Rica and west Panama

C. m. dickermani Phillips, AR, 1966 – south Mexico C. m. unicolor Bonaparte, 1827 – Alaska, west Canada and west USA Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
2 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
4 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
5 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
7 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
11 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
12 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
13 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
14 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
15 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
16 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a American Dipper in Grand Teton National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a American Dipper sighting in Grand Teton National Park, based on 359 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see American Dipper in Grand Teton National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for American Dipper in Grand Teton National Park in our monthly data.

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