Water ouzel, Water ousel n. (Zool.) Any one of several species of small insessorial birds of the genus Cinclus (or Hydrobates), especially the European water ousel (Cinclus aquaticus), and the American water ousel (Cinclus Mexicanus). These birds live about the water, and are in the habit of walking on the bottom of streams beneath the water in search of food.
... ceaseless sprinkle, on a narrow ledge that was never dry, was placed—I had almost said grew—a bird's nest; whose, it were needless to ask. One American bird, and one only, chooses perpetual dampness for his environment,—the American dipper, or water ouzel. ... — A Bird-Lover in the West • Olive Thorne Miller
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