(Cinclus cinclus)
Dippers are small,chunky,stout,short-tailed,short-winged,strong-legged birds.The different species are generally dark brown (sometimes nearly black),or brown and white in colour,apart from the rufous-throated dipper,which is brown with a reddish-brown throat patch.Sizes range from 14–22 cm in length and 40–90 g in weight,with males larger than females.Their short wings give them a distinctive whirring flight.They have a characteristic bobbing motion when perched beside the water,giving them their name.While under water,they are covered by a thin,silvery film of air,due to small bubbles being trapped on the surface of the plumage.