Dippers fighting

I am not used to seeing animals fighting. But, recently I watched two female white-tailed deer go at it. And now, dippers.

Except during mating and raising their young, dippers are solitary. They defend their territories vigorously against intruders, using vocalizations and physical displays. But fighting?

I have watched a territorial confrontation a number of times. One dipper merely chases another off. That’s it. But, dippers fighting over territory was a first for me. It went on for about 20 seconds and then one gave up and flew off. The other returned to scouring the creek for comestibles. Here are three pictures of the combat offered without comment.