American dippers are named for their habit of rhythmically bobbing when perched
But why do they dip?
Theories incl: blending in w/ turbulent water as camouflage; enhanced scoping of underwater prey; visual communication in noisy environment
📹@spqchan
Cornell Lab describes the dipper's burbling song as "evocative of the rushing whitewater streams this species calls home in western North and Central America"
📹@ashergrey
John Muir was enchanted by the American dipper/water ouzel and included a chapter about them in "The Mountains of California"
https://t.co/4BGX77Rmp9