The little Black-capped Chickadee on the right is a wood carving made by Ganz, next is a votive made by New Creative Enterprises. The one in the center is an ornament made by Wild Republic. The little plush bird on the left is made by Wild Republic and is one of Wild Republic's Audubon Bird Series. At top is an ornament made by New Creative Enterprises.
Black-capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) are members of the Family Paridae, which are small, plump, small-billed birds that are very acrobatic when feeding. Sexes are usually alike. They often roam in little bands.
This plump Chickadee needs no introduction. It is black-bibbed, dark-capped, white-cheeked with a grey back and dull-white underparts. The wing feathers are narrowly and distinctly edged with white. Chickadees are smaller than most sparrows (4-3/4 - 5 3/4 inches), tame and friendly. Only in the mountains of the Northwest do more than two species occur together. Sexes are similar and young are like adults.
Its call is a clear chick-a-dee-dee-dee or dee-dee-dee or a whistled fee-bee, the first note is higher. Chickadees are a constant visitor to feeding stations, often feeding upside down. The smaller (4-1/2 inch) Carolina Chickadee--south of the Mason-Dixon Line -- has four or five notes in its whistled song instead of two or three. The brown-capped Boreal Chickadee (5 inch) is a winter visitor along the Canadian border. The western Chestnut-backed Chickadee has a dull brown cap and a bright chestnut back.
These birds are a permanent resident throughout their range. The eggs are .6 x.5, white, finely spotted with brown, 4 to 9 in number. The nest is made of moss, hair, feathers, grass; lined with plant down. It is often located in a cavity in a rotted stump or limb: 1 to 50 feet up; or a deserted woodpecker hole. Attracting them into nest boxes is difficult unless the boxes are filled with sawdust, which deceives the chickadees; they carry the sawdust out a little at a time and then accept the box for nesting.
Chickadees are easily attracted to feeding stations. Their diet consists of insects and their eggs, weed and tree seeds; wild fruits.
They are largely residents from Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland, south to northern California, northern New Mexico, Missouri and northern New Jersey. Winters south to Maryland and Texas. They frequent mixed and deciduous woods, willow thickets and groves.
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