The family Cinclidae includes 1 species found in North America.

Dippers live along swift streams in Eurasia, western North America, Middle America, and the mountains of western South America. The name "dipper" refers to the virtually constant bobbing motion when out of the water. Such movements seem to be correlated with noisy habitats, such as rushing streams and marine shores. 

Food includes many kinds of aquatic animals: insects, larval insects, worms, small mollusks and crustaceans, tadpoles, small fish and fish eggs. Often feeds by moving stones to expose prey. Also feeds along stream banks by turning stones and debris. Dippers wade into shallow water or dive when foraging. They walk on the bottom or swim underwater with strong wingbeats. They may dive from a perch or from the wing and can emerge from the water directly into flight. Underwater periods are usually 5-7 seconds in length, rarely 10.

The nest is a large, domed structure of moss, grass and leaves with a wide opening usually pointing down; lined with dry leaves, plant fibers and hair. Both sexes build the nest, placed in a steep bank above a stream, often close to or under a waterfall, in a hole or crevice, on a ledge, under a bridge and similar sites. Eggs 4-5, white; incubation averages 16 days by female; male rarely incubates. Young are fed by both parents, fledging at 20-24 days, young fed for 7 or up to 18 days after fledging.