Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Titmice and Chickadees (Paridae)

Codes: Common Name: BCCH Scientific Name: POEATR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554382

Breeding Location:

Forest edge, Bushes, shrubs, and thickets

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

White with red brown markings

Number of Eggs:

2 - 6

Incubation Days:

11 - 13

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with vegation, moss, feathers, hair, and insect cocoons.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Black-capped Chickadee: Medium-sized, stocky chickadee with pale gray upperparts and breast and pale olive-brown underparts. Black cap and bib and white cheeks are conspicuous. Bill is short and thin. Wings are dark with broad white edges on feathers. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Black-capped Chickadee: Breeds from Alaska to Newfoundland, south to northern California, northern New Mexico, Missouri, and northern New Jersey; spends winters south to Maryland. Inhabits deciduous and mixed forests and open woodlands; often occurs in suburban areas during winter.

Breeding and Nesting

Black-capped Chickadee: Five to ten white eggs with red brown markings are laid in a nest lined with vegetation, moss, feathers, hair, and insect cocoons, and usually built 4 to 40 feet above the ground in a tree, snag, or nest box. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Black-capped Chickadee: Eats insects and insect eggs, conifer seeds, bayberries, and other fruits. Forages among twigs, branches, and under bark; often clings upside down.

Readily Eats

Suet, Sunflower Seed

Vocalization

Black-capped Chickadee: Song is a drawn-out "check-a-dee-dee-dee." Call is a clear, fluted "fee-bee" or "fee-bee-be."

Similar Species

Black-capped Chickadee: Carolina Chickadee is smaller, has shorter tail, and lacks broad white edges on wings. Boreal Chickadee has gray-brown back and sides and hoarser song.

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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.

Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee: Medium-sized, stocky chickadee with pale gray upperparts and breast and pale olive-brown underparts. The black cap and bib and white cheeks are conspicuous. Black bill is short and thin. Wings are dark with broad white edges on feathers. State bird of Maine and Massachusetts.

● Song: "chick-a-dee-dee-dee", "fee-bee", "fee-bee-be"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-capped Chickadee: Eats insects and insect eggs, conifer seeds, bayberries, and other fruits. Forages among twigs, branches, and under bark; often clings upside down.

● Breeding & nesting: Black-capped Chickadee: Five to ten white eggs with red brown markings are laid in a nest lined with vegetation, moss, feathers, hair, and insect cocoons, and usually built 4 to 40 feet above the ground in a tree, snag, or nest box. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Black-capped Chickadee: Carolina Chickadee is smaller, has shorter tail, and lacks broad white edges on wings. Boreal Chickadee has gray-brown back and sides and hoarser song.

Flight Pattern

Slow flitting short flights with rapid wing beats., On longer flights often folds wings to sides after several quick shallow strokes before repeating.

● Range & Habitat: Black-capped Chickadee: Breeds from Alaska to Newfoundland, south to northern California, northern New Mexico, Missouri, and northern New Jersey; spends winters south to Maryland. Inhabits deciduous and mixed forests and open woodlands; often occurs in suburban areas during winter.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight0.4 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Cap

The area on top of the head 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