Dipper Birds (can swim and walk underwater!)
Dipper birds are one of England’s most fascinating creatures, chunky songbirds that ‘dip’ or bob while perched on rocks in fast-flowing streams. They are the only songbirds that can swim and walk underwater, using in-built ‘goggles’ to see aquatic insects, using their wings to dive for food.
Dippers can stay underwater for up to 30 seconds, while they use their built-in scuba diving gear to shut water out using nasal scales (they have twice as many feathers as other songbirds, to stay dry).
Although they look a bit like blackbirds, they are not related (you can tell the difference as they have white throats and breasts)
Dippers need protected habitats
Due to loss of habitat, dippers are a protected species. Living near rivers, they are at risk from forever chemicals polluting our waterways, which can affect the hatching of male dippers, thyroid and development of fledglings.
They are also at risk of microplastics (so if you wear synthetic fibre clothing like polyester, launder in microfiber filters and buy cotton, hemp or linen clothing for new purchases).
Numbers of dippers have dropped 30% since 1970, with other threats like intensive poultry farming that causes polluted water run-off from modern farming methods, even run-off from quad bike tracks.
