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Bird name:

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Poecile rufescens

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Titmice and Chickadees (Paridae)

Code 4

CBCH

Code 6

POERUF

ITIS

554387

Breeding Location:

Forests, coniferous, Forest edge

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Loose colonies

Breeding Population:

Fairly common to common

Egg Color:

White with sparse red brown marks

Number of Eggs:

5 - 9

Incubation Days:

11 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Moss lined with animal fur, feathers, and plant matter.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

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General

Chestnut-backed Chickadee: Small, energetic chickadee with chestnut-brown back, rump and flanks, and white breast and belly. Cap and throat are black; cheek patch is white. Wings and tail are dark. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Chestnut-backed Chickadee: Resident from coastal Alaska south to central California; also in western ranges of the Rocky Mountains in southern British Columbia, southern Alberta, and western Montana. Preferred habitats are Pacific rain forest and moist areas containing conifers.

Breeding and Nesting

Chestnut-backed Chickadee: Five to nine white eggs with sparse red brown marks are laid in a natural cavity or woodpecker hole. Often excavates a rotten stump and then builds nest of moss and hair inside. Incubation ranges from 11 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Chestnut-backed Chickadee: Diet includes seeds, spiders, caterpillars, and other insects.

Readily Eats

Suet, Sunflower Seed

Vocalization

Chestnut-backed Chickadee: Song is a steady "chip-chip-chip-chip." Call is a gruff and rapid "tseek-a-dee-dee."

Similar Species

Chestnut-backed Chickadee: Black-capped and Mountain chickadees lack bright chestnut-brown back, rump, and sides.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America