Bird Album
Brown Dipper
Cinclus pallasii Temminck, 1820
22 cmLength76 gWeight
This small chocolate-brown stream bird holds its tail slightly raised and dives to forage.
Busiest months: January–February and May · Most records: China, Japan, Bhutan
How to identify
Field marks
- Chocolate-brown overall
- Back and breast slightly paler
- Tail slightly raised
- Thrush-like, with a body length of about 22 cm
Where and when it's recorded
Brown Dipper has been recorded at 286 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 11 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Dasyueshan IBA – Hengliu Creek (15K)Taiwan (China)437 records
- Tangjiahe NNRChina359 records
- Nakashibetsu – Yoroushi Hot SpringJapan321 records
More places
- Taipei – WulaiTaiwan (China)317 records
- Karuizawa – Karuizawa Wild Bird SanctuaryJapan296 records
- SattalIndia262 records
- Longcanggou [General Area]China142 records
- Thimpu Sewage LagoonsBhutan117 records
- Shidu, Juma River PNRChina94 records
- Paro to ThimphuBhutan88 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The brown dipper (Cinclus pallasii), also known as Pallas's dipper, Asian dipper or the Asiatic dipper, is an aquatic songbird found in the mountains of the east Palearctic. It is a thrush-like bird with a cocked tail. This species, which is not often seen, is found at medium to low elevations where mountain streams flow.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Brown Dipper?
The Brown Dipper is about 22 cm long and weighs around 76 g.
Where does the Brown Dipper live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: central, eastern. It is most often recorded in China, Japan and Bhutan.
When is the best time to see the Brown Dipper?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Brown Dipper endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown Dipper as Least Concern.
What does the Brown Dipper eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Brown Dipper in?
It belongs to the family Dippers (Cinclidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 22 cm
- Weight
- 76 g
- Habitat
- Rivers & streams
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 102 mm
- Tail
- 68 mm
- Bill
- 24 mm
- Tarsus
- 30 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: central, eastern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Cinclus pallasii pallasii e Siberia to c China e to Sakhalin, Kuril Is., Japan and Taiwan (China), s to s China and n Indochina
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Dippers Cinclidae
- Genus
- Cinclus
Other birds in the genus Cinclus
White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus
American DipperCinclus mexicanus
White-capped DipperCinclus leucocephalus
Rufous-throated DipperCinclus schulzii
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Se Lena. ↗
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