Carolina Chickadee

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

Codes: Common Name: CACH Scientific Name: POECAR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554383

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Overview

Carolina Chickadee: Small chickadee with gray upperparts, distinct black cap and bib, dull white cheeks, and white underparts with rust-brown flanks. Short, black bill. When disturbed in its nest during incubation, it will hiss and strike intruders, similar to how a snake would act.

Range and Habitat

Carolina Chickadee: Occurs as far north as Delaware, central Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and as far west as Oklahoma and central Texas. Common throughout the southeast U.S. except for extreme southern Florida. Frequents deciduous and mixed woodlands, swamps, riparian areas, open woods, and parks; also found in suburban and urban areas.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"fee-bee-fee-bay", "chick-a-dee-dee"

Interesting Facts

Carolina Chickadees are often found foraging in mixed-species flocks with their relative the Tufted Titmouse.

Hybridization sometimes occurs with the Blacked-capped Chickadee where the species’ populations overlap along the eastern section of their ranges.

The Carolina Chickadee will regularly visit bird feeders but prefers to take the food to a nearby branch to eat.

A group of chickadees are collectively known as "a banditry of chickadees", and a "dissimulation of chickadees"

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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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.

Carolina Chickadee

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

● Foraging & Feeding: Carolina Chickadee: Eats primarily insects, spiders, fruits, and seeds; forages by searching among tree branches, trunks, pinecones, and dead leaf clusters.

● Breeding & nesting: Carolina Chickadee: Five to eight white eggs with red brown markings are laid in a cavity lined with down and fine plant materials. Both sexes incubate eggs for 11 to 12 days.

● Similar species: Carolina Chickadee: Black-capped Chickadee is larger, has more white on wings, slightly larger black bib, and bright white cheeks.

Flight Pattern

Short weak fluttering flight with rapid beats, sometimes in longer flights folds wings to sides after several quick strokes.

Carolina Chickadee Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Carolina Chickadee: Occurs as far north as Delaware, central Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and as far west as Oklahoma and central Texas. Common throughout the southeast U.S. except for extreme southern Florida. Frequents deciduous and mixed woodlands, swamps, riparian areas, open woods, and parks; also found in suburban and urban areas.

^BreedingMonogamous

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight0.4 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Underparts

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

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Riparian

Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater.

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