- Lifespan
- 5–8 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 18–19 cm, wingspan 25–27 cm; 13–18 g
- Habitat
- Fast-flowing streams, rivers, and waterfalls in upland and moorland areas, particularly over rocky substrates.
- UK Distribution
- Year-round resident throughout Wales, Scotland, and northern England; summer visitor to south-western England and increasingly found in southern lowland areas during winter.
- Diet
- Insectivorous, feeding primarily on aquatic invertebrates including mayflies, caddisflies, and small beetles, picked from water surfaces and low vegetation near streams.
- Prey
- Aquatic insects, small invertebrates, and occasionally small fish fry
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, merlins, and occasionally larger gulls; eggs and chicks vulnerable to corvids and stoats
- Mating Season
- March to July
- Breeding
- Clutch size 4–6 eggs, incubation period 10–12 days, fledging at 11–13 days; typically raises 2 broods per season.
- Behaviour
- Highly active and acrobatic, constantly bobbing its long tail whilst hunting insects in flight or from rock surfaces. Often seen singly or in pairs along fast-running water, with a distinctive thin, sharp call. Males are highly territorial during breeding season.