Dipper (White-Throated Dipper)
Cinclus cinclus
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Distribution Britain 1,309 (-8.7%) Ireland 429 (-30.4%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 14,000 Ireland 3,500 European status: 180,000 (10% in Britain and Ireland =3) British population trend: pretty well stable (- 10% WBS){-6%} How likely are you to record it? 103 squares (2.3%) Ranked 102 [69] |
We have two races in Britain — gularis over most of Britain and hibernicus over Ireland and North-west Scotland. The species' distribution is determined by the bird's requirement for reasonably fast flowing streams running over rocky or gravelly beds. The bird's distribution has not changed much although there were periods of regular (now sporadic) breeding on the Isle of Man and Orkney: the birds regularly breed on the Western Isles. Local losses have been recorded from industrially polluted areas — and re-colonisation following clean-up. There are widespread reports of birds becoming scarcer or being lost from rivers and streams subject to acidification which may be caused by plantations of conifers. This reduces the insect and fish life available for the birds. There were many more losses than gains recorded between the two Breeding Bird Atlases and these may indicate a real retreat from marginal areas for the birds. Some of these, in Western England, have only recently been colonised. There are probably more about to be lost but the species should not be threatened in our area.
The following Bird On! picture is available:
Dipper (35mm Colour Slide by Roger Tidman)
The following Bird On! sketch is available:
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead