January 5, 2026 – Yosemite National Park officials spotlight the American dipper bird species, often seen in the park near the Merced River in Mariposa County. See video link below.
The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also called the water ouzel, is the only aquatic songbird in North America. Dippers get their name from the way they bob their whole bodies up and down. This behavior conceals the bird from predators against the moving water and helps it spot prey beneath the water surface. It acts as a show of courtship or a way to threaten aggressors. And it is a visual way to communicate with other dippers over the roar of the water it swims through.
The dipper’s most remarkable trick is how it forages by swimming, diving, or walking along the stream bottom. It typically stays underwater for 5–15 seconds, foraging for aquatic insects under pebbles and among leafy or woody debris. A thick layer of down helps to insulate their bodies and repel water. Strong wings help it paddle on the surface and swim underwater. Its long legs and sharp (but not webbed) claws firmly grip the stream bottom. Underwater, scales shut over its nostrils while a transparent, third eyelid helps it to see while scales shut over its nostrils.
American dippers are typically found near clear, cold streams and swift-moving rivers (like the Merced) year-round. So, the next time you are frolicking around Yosemite, be on the lookout!
“Find a fall, or cascade, or rushing rapid, anywhere upon a clear stream, and there you will surely find its complementary Ouzel, flitting about in the spray…The Ouzel never sings in chorus with other birds, nor with his kind, but only with the streams.” - John Muir
View video here.
Video Description: A series of clips of a small, round bird (American dipper) with blackish blue feathers bouncing up and down in place, swimming in a calm river, and diving underwater to pick at aquatic bugs.