OK, I realized that I needed to look this bird up to be sure. The bird's eyes kept turning white, so we surmised it had white eyelids. So when I checked online, Wikipedia confirmed it was an American dipper:
I also thought it strange that the English vernacular name is 'American' but the Latin name is 'mexicanus'. But given it's range, American is probably more accurate.The American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a Water Ouzel, is a stocky dark grey bird with a head sometimes tinged with brown, and white feathers on the eyelids cause the eyes to flash white as the bird blinks. It is 16.5 cm long and weighs on average 46 g. It has long legs, and bobs its whole body up and down during pauses as it feeds on the bottom of fast-moving, rocky streams. It inhabits the mountainous regions of Central America and western North America from Panama to Alaska.
This species, like other dippers, is equipped with an extra eyelid called a "nictitating membrane" that allows it to see underwater, and scales that close its nostrils when submerged. Dippers also produce more oil than most birds, which may help keep them warmer when seeking food underwater.
That is a dipper all right. The bobbing motion and the short upright tail are characteristic. I've only seen one here in Sitka, but I used to see them a lot in Colorado.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a bird we saw sitting on a fallen tree branch at Staircase in the Olympic National Park on the North Fork Skokomish River in Washington.
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