Crossword Genius

A bird taking a swim? (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dipper

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'a bird' is the definition.
(dipper is a kind of bird)

'a swim?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'swim?' could be 'dip' (dip can mean a brief swim) and 'dip' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'per' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'taking' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dipper that I've seen before include "big one in the sky" , "one browses selectively" , "Aquatic bird" , "Ladle; bird" , "Water bird - Great Bear" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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