AMERICAN
DIPPER
(Cinclus
mexicanus)
(Currently
studied by CWE researcher Christy
Morrissey)
The
dipper is a unique songbird species that inhabits fast moving creeks and
rivers in alpine and sub-alpine areas throughout British Columbia.It
is the only truly aquatic songbird in the world, diving into water to find
food and nesting on cliffs, boulders and stream banks of clear, rocky creeks
and rivers.In winter, they often
move to streams and rivers at lower elevations and concentrate in higher
numbers, sometimes using very narrow creeks and slower-moving rivers or
lakes.
The
dipper has declined or disappeared from certain streams that have become
polluted and has been suggested as a good indicator of water quality because
of its diet of aquatic insects and small fish.
Current
research on this species is the first in British Columbia where we are
investigating the effects of trace metals and organic contaminants on migrant
and resident dipper populations.We
have identified seasonal movement patterns of the species and the uptake
of contaminants through its diet. |