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Black-capped chickadee

The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, nonmigratory, North American passerine bird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It is a member of the Paridae family, also known as tits. It has a distinct black cap on its head, a black bib underneath, and white cheeks. It has a white belly, buff sides, and grey wings, back, and tail. The bird is well known for its vocalizations, including its fee-bee call and its chick-a-dee-dee-dee call, from which it derives its name.

The black-capped chickadee is widely distributed throughout North America, ranging from the northern United States to southern Canada and all the way up to Alaska and Yukon. It feeds primarily on insects and seeds, and is known for its ability to cache food for use during the winter. The hippocampus of the black-capped chickadee grows during the caching season, which is believed to help it better remember its cache locations. The black-capped chickadee is a social bird and forms strict dominance hierarchies within its flock. During the winter, these flocks include other bird species. It has the ability to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, allowing it to conserve energy.


Black-capped chickadees build nests in tree cavities, with the nesting season starting in late April and lasting until late June. They lay on average 6–8 eggs, which hatch after 11–14 days. Juveniles fledge 12–16 days after hatching.


The population of black-capped chickadees is thought to be increasing, and they are considered a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is the state bird of both Massachusetts and Maine in the United States, and the provincial bird of New Brunswick in Canada.

Poecile atricapillus turneri (, 1884): Found in southern Alaska and northwest Canada and has the palest colouring of all subspecies.[13][14]

Ridgway

Poecile atricapillus occidentalis (, 1858): Ranges from southwest British Columbia to northwest California, and is the smallest in size and darkest in colouring of all subspecies.[13][14]

Baird

Poecile atricapillus fortuitus (, 1909): Ranges from inland southwest Canada to northwest U.S., and is notably buffier than other subspecies.[13][11]: 16 

Dawson

Poecile atricapillus septentrionalis (, 1846): Ranges from western and central Canada to southern U.S. It is visually similar to P. a. atricapillus but has slightly longer wings and tail.[13][14]

Harris

Poecile atricapillus bartletti ( & Nutt, 1939): Lives only in Newfoundland, Canada, and is the only species with different mtDNA, likely due to geographic isolation.[13][14] It is larger and darker than P. a. atricapillus.[11]: 15 

Alrich

Poecile atricapillus atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766): , which ranges from eastern and central Canada to northeastern U.S.[13]

Nominate subspecies

Poecile atricapillus garrinus (, 1951): Lives in western central U.S.[13] It has a brown back and buff rump.[11]: 16 

Behle

Poecile atricapillus nevadensis (Linsdale, 1938): Lives in western U.S., and is visually similar to P. a. septentrionalis but with paler edges to the wings and tail.[11]: 16 

[13]

Poecile atricapillus practicus (, 1937): Lives in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern U.S.[13] Similar to P. a. atricapillus, although slightly smaller, less dark on the back, and less prominent white edge to the wings and tail.[11]: 14 

Oberholser

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Black-capped chickadees are non-migratory and can be found throughout much of North America.[27] They range from western Alaska, through southern Yukon and throughout the Canadian provinces, from British Columbia in the west to the Maritimes and Newfoundland in the east. The distribution continues into the United States, with its range extending to northern California in the south-west, through northern Nevada and New Mexico, continuing through the midwestern United States to New Jersey. It can also be found in the Appalachian Mountains at higher elevations.[14] In British Columbia, the black-capped chickadee is absent on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Haida Gwaii, and parts of the Sunshine Coast, where it is replaced by the chestnut-backed chickadee.[28][29] They are typically most common at elevations below 750 m (2,460 ft),[28] although they have been known to occur at up to 3,200 m (10,500 ft).[1]


Black-capped chickadees inhabit wooded areas, including both coniferous and deciduous forests, urban parks, willow thickets, and suburban areas. They do not vary their habitat between breeding and non-breeding seasons, although in the winter irregular bird migration and dispersal may occur.[14]

Conservation[edit]

The IUCN classifies the black-capped chickadee as least concern due to its wide distribution and large populations. While the exact population is unknown, yearly bird counts such as the Christmas Bird Count indicate that the population is increasing.[1]


Black-capped chickadees are known to suffer from human-related mortality causes such as flying into windows or dying from ingesting pesticide. Additionally, pets such as cats pose a threat to chickadees.[11]

Otter, K.A., ed. (2007). Ecology and Behavior of Chickadees and Titmice: An Integrated Approach. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 310 pp.

Smith, S.M. (1991). The Black-capped Chickadee: Behavioural Ecology and Natural History. Cornell University Press.  0-8014-2382-1 (1991 reprint).

ISBN

Smith, S.M. (1993). "Black-capped Chickadee". In The Birds of North America, no. 39. (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim and F. Gill, eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences.

on YouTube

Black-capped Chickadees Building a Nest

Archived 2 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine

Alaska Science Center: Beak Deformities

. Internet Bird Collection.

"Black-capped chickadee media"

– USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

Black-capped chickadee – Poecile atricapilla

– Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Black-capped chickadee species account

at VIREO (Drexel University)

Black-capped chickadee photo gallery