American Dipper
American Dipper has surged: up 120% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the American Dipper
The American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) is a North American member of the Dippers (Cinclidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- about 6.5 in long (17 cm) — a chunky streamside songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 263 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 12 states, most concentrated in the Northern Rockies.
- Family
- Cinclidae · Wetland birds
Notable American Dipper Trends
No notable trend signals for American Dipper. See the full index history below.
American Dipper Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, American Dipper is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.02 (95% range 0.01–0.03). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±84.8%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2027 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2028 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2029 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
Where the American Dipper Is Detected
BBS routes recording American Dipper, sized by most recent count.
American Dipper Population Trend by State
| Alaska | -84% | 1984 | 22 |
| California | -32% | 1973 | 48 |
| Colorado | -46% | 1976 | 37 |
| Idaho | +20% | 1975 | 24 |
| Montana | -12% | 1975 | 24 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Mexico | -63% | 1988 | 6 |
| Oregon | -21% | 1972 | 39 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Utah | -94% | 1977 | 14 |
| Washington | -15% | 1973 | 33 |
| Wyoming | -62% | 1980 | 12 |
American Dipper Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -79% | 1988 | 8 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -9% | 1972 | 63 |
| Great Basin | -30% | 1972 | 33 |
| Northern Rockies | +54% | 1973 | 71 |
| Sierra Nevada | -58% | 1974 | 18 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -79% | 1972 | 55 |
| Coastal California | +50% | 1978 | 7 |
American Dipper Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 120% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.