The American dipper, also known as a water ouzel, is a semiaquatic bird species native to western North America. br Scientific name: Cinclus mexicanusbr Family: Cinclidaebr Order: Passeriformesbr A bird that walks underneath the water, the slate-gray American Dipper is North America’s only truly aquatic songbird. br It flits among midstream rocks and logs, rhythmically bobbing its tail, and then disappears for long moments to forage for aquatic larvae on the stream bottom, using its wings to negotiate the current. br These birds build mossy, domed nests on boulders, cliff ledges, and bridges.br br The burbling song is evocative of the rushing whitewater streams this species calls home in western North and Central America.