The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a water ouzel, is a semiaquatic bird species native to western North America.

[4] There are five subspecies:[5] This species, like other dippers, is equipped with an extra eyelid called a nictitating membrane that allows it to see underwater, and scales that close its nostrils when submerged.

The presence of this indicator species shows good water quality; it has vanished from some locations due to pollution or increased silt load in streams.

The American dipper's nest is a globe-shaped structure with a side entrance, close to water, on a rock ledge, river bank, behind a waterfall or under a bridge.

The maximum recorded age from ring-recovery data of an American dipper is 8 years and 1 month for a bird ringed and recovered in South Dakota.