BIRD 5

Hang on a minute, this bird doesn’t fit the conventional idea of a water bird. It looks like a passerine (perching or song bird), for starters. Shape-wise, it looks a bit like a thrush, though a particularly rounded and short-tailed one, like a baby Blackbird; or even a bit like a Wren. But using the time-honoured technique of comparing its head size to the rest of the body (where, in general, large head equates to small size and small head means a larger bird), this appears to be a larger bird than a Wren. One thrush-like, Wren-shaped bird is renowned for standing on rocks in streams – the Dipper. The grey and white, speckled plumage point to this being a juvenile Dipper.

KEY FEATURES

†Shape of a Wren or young Blackbird †Grey and white, scaly plumage †Long legs and perching bird feet †White eye ring, white wing bar

Dark above, speckled grey below Shaped like a thrush or giant Wren Rocky stream habitat a big clue