The white-capped dipper (''Cinclus leucocephalus'') is an aquatic

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

found in South America. It is a small black bird with white spots. It is found in the Andes from northern Bolivia, through Peru, Ecuador, Colombia to northwest Venezuela.

Taxonomy

The white-capped dipper was described by the Swiss naturalist

Johann Jakob von Tschudi Johann Jakob von Tschudi (25 July 1818 – 8 October 1889) was a Switzerland, Swiss Natural history, naturalist, explorer and diplomat. Biography Tschudi was born in Glarus to Johann Jakob Tschudi, a merchant, and Anna Maria Zwicky. He studied ...

in 1844 and given the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Cinclus leucocephalus''. The type locality is the

Junín Province Junín Province is a province in northwestern Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru. Its capital is the city of Junín. Geography The territory of the province is mountainous and it includes Lake Junin which is the largest lake entire ...

in Peru. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''leucocephalus'' combines the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''leukos'' "white" and ''-kephalos'' "-headed". Of the five species now placed in the genus, a molecular genetic study has shown that the white-capped dipper is most closely related to the other South American species, the

rufous-throated dipper The rufous-throated dipper or Argentine dipper (''Cinclus schulzii'') is an aquatic songbird found in South America, and is part of the dipper family. It lives along rapid rocky streams of the Southern Andean Yungas, in far southern Bolivia and ...

(''Cinclus schulzii''). There are three

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

: * ''C. l. rivularis''

Bangs Bang or bangs may refer to: Products * M1922 Bang rifle, a US semi-automatic rifle designed by Søren Hansen Bang * Bang, a List of model car brands, model car brand * Bang (beverage), an energy drink Geography * Bang, Lorestan, a village in I ...

, 1899 – north Colombia * ''C. l. leuconotus'' Sclater, PL, 1858 – west Venezuela to Ecuador * ''C. l. leucocephalus'' Tschudi, 1844 – Peru and Bolivia

Description

The white-capped dipper is in length and weighs . The sexes are similar in appearance, but the male is slightly larger than the female. The

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

has a white nape and crown with fine dark brown streaks. The remaining upperparts are dark brown. The throat is white; the remaining underparts are dark brown. The bill is black and the legs are dark grey. Subspecies ''rivularis'' is paler than the nominate and has fine grey spots on the throat. Subspecies ''leuconotus'' has a white belly and a large white patch on the upper back.

References

External links

*
Bird Forum page on White-capped Dipper (including photo)

white-capped dipper The white-capped dipper (''Cinclus leucocephalus'') is an aquatic passerine found in South America. It is a small black bird with white spots. It is found in the Andes from northern Bolivia, through Peru, Ecuador, Colombia to northwest Venezuela. ...

Birds of the Northern Andes

{{Muscicapoidea-stub