(White-throated Dipper cinclus cinclus)
Dippers breed along fast flowing rocky streams and rivers often in upland areas. They swim underwater using their wings and even walk on the bed of the steam turning over pebbles while searching for aquatic invertebrates. They are a hardy species and can be found in icebound streams in the coldest of winters. They have a surprisingly melodious song which often can be heard outwith the breeding season.
In Scotland there are two recognised subspecies - the c.c.hibernicus (Irish Dipper) in the Western Isles and the c.c.gularis (British Dipper) in the rest of Scotland. The differences between the two are slight and not all authorities accept them as different subspecies. Occasionally a vagrant of the nominate subspecies c.c.cinclus (Black-bellied Dipper) will be found but it is rare.