A Cheerful Little Song Bird
This familiar little song bird seems to be in constant motion. It can be seen hopping from branch to branch and tree to tree. Named for its easily recognized song, chick-a-dee-dee-dee, the Chickadee is a regular visitor to backyard bird feeders.
Description
The Black-capped Chickadee is a relatively small bird just four and a half to six inches in length. As its name indicates, it has a black cap and throat, but its cheeks are white. Its belly and chest are white, but its back is a solid gray. The Black-capped Chickadee's wings are gray as well but there may be some white edging. It's not real distinct and cannot always be seen. Its tail is relatively long for the size of the bird, and it is the same color as its wings but lacks the white edging.
Range and Habitat
The most brilliant singers are the birds of the woods, and the Black-capped Chickadee is no exception. It prefers the deciduous and mixed forests, and open woodlands, but can also be found in wetlands, thickets, parks and wooded backyards. They can be found in the northern part of the United States and the southern regions of Canada, as well as along the eastern seaboard as far south as Virginia. They are a non-migratory bird and are one of the few birds willing to tough out the winter in their northern habitat.
Courtship and Nesting
In February and March the focus shifts from surviving the winter to courtship and mating. Chattering loudly, they chase each other around and through the trees. The flock gradually breaks up into pairs. With the female in the lead, the pairs head out. Wherever the female goes, the male follows. The male will not tolerate any interlopers and aggressively defend his mate and the area around her. Once the nesting site is selected, usually a hole in the rotting wood of a dead stump, they work together to hollow it out and prepare the site. Once the site is prepared, the female builds the nest. The nest is built with soft fibers, plant down-anything soft.
Although both the male and female Chickadee look similar, the female's voice takes on a raspy quality as she prepares to lay her eggs. At this point the male takes on most of the food gathering responsibilities. He feeds his mate often as she crouches, shivering her wings as if she was a newly hatched baby bird.
With the nest ready, the female lays one egg a day until there is five to ten eggs. Clutches of six to eight are the most common. The eggs are white with a coating of fine dark spots and are incubated exclusively by the female.
Voice
The Black-capped Chickadee is a songbird and will sing throughout the year, but nothing can rival their songs during nesting season. Most mornings the male will serenade his mate with an early morning chorus. It has been known to last for up to an hour.
Listin to the song of the Black-capped Chickadee: Sound Byte: Black-capped Chickadee, National Park Service
Common Birds and Their Songs
by Lang Elliott

Common Birds and Their Songs (Book and Audio CD)
This book-audio package provides a unique introduction to fifty of the most familiar birds of North America and the songs they sing. Common Birds and Their Songs will be valuable to anyone interested in birds, from beginner to expert. It's the perfect gift for any birder - or anyone with a bird feeder.
Eating Habits
The Black-capped Chickadee spends most of its day feeding. It hops along branches poking at the bark. It will cling to trunks, clutch vertical limbs, and even hang upside down. It will do whatever it takes to examine every possible nook and cranny. Its next meal is just waiting to be discovered. 80 to 90 percent of the Chickadee's diet consists of weevils, lice, spiders and other insects during the breeding season, and about 50 percent during the winter.
When the food is plentiful the Chickadee will horde enough food to put a squirrel to shame. They will hide the little tidbits only to pull them out and hide them somewhere else. This behavior is particularly prevalent in late summer and early fall. They have been known to cache hundreds of food items in a single day, and remember where they hid it for up to 28 days.
Many northern birds cache food. They may not remember where they stashed all of it, but it provides meals for whatever bird stumbles across it. The winters are long and cold, food is often scarce. A cache of food can make all the difference in the world.
During the breeding season and the summer that follows, the Black-capped Chickadee's diet is prominently made up of insects. In the winter a feeding station that offers sunflower seeds and suit will catch their attention. Just remember that the birds will come to rely on the feeder. Don't start feeding them in the fall if you don't plan on continuing through the winter.
Gazebo Bird Feeder w/ Cedar Roof
You and the birds will love this beautiful gazebo bird feeder with decorative moulding, routed arches, and a cedar roof. It's perfect for small songbirds.
Gazebo Bird Feeder w/ Tile Roof
This is a beautiful bird feeder with decorative moulding, routed arches, and a distinctive tile roof. It is excellent for small songbirds.

Avant Garden 8501-3 Cottage Lantern Bird Feeder
I love watching the birds in my backyard, and nothing attracts the birds better than a birdfeeder. The Avant Garden Cottage Lantern Feeder is an excellent choice.

No/No C00322 Red Cardinal Feeder
The Red Cardinal Feeder will attract the Northern Cardinals as well as a wide variety of seed eaters.
Unique Characteristics
The Black-capped Chickadees establish a hierarchy or "pecking order" within their ranks early in the season. It's based on the degree of aggressiveness with the most aggressive reigning at the top. The higher ranking birds get the best nesting sites, first shot at food sources, and usually have the most surviving offspring. It's a Darwinian society but it works for them. According to the latest bird counts, their numbers are increasing.
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Peterson's Field Guide to Birds
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guide Series)
Amazon Price: $16.38 (as of 11/11/2009)![]()
An absolute must have for anyone with an interest in watching the birds.
Some of my Favorite Backyard Birds

The Bold and BeautifulThe American Goldfinch
The Blue Jay
The Northern Cardinal
Cheerful Singers
The European Starling
The Northern Mockingbird

The American Robin

The Shy Ones
The Eastern Bluebird
The Carolina Wren
Seen any interesting birds lately?
daria369 wrote...
Cute birds and cute lens! I enjoy watching the birds in my backyard and listening to their songs - although for the most part I don't even know their names... :)
kiwisoutback wrote...
This is definitely our most frequent visitor to our bird feeder. I can't tell how many there are since they come and go so quickly, but if I had to guess there's at least a dozen. They also aren't all that afraid of people. Every time I go out on the deck, they really don't move much, while the other birds fly away. Great work!
alteredkat wrote...
I think the chickadee is my all time fav bird...we have a few feeders out right now and I love how easily they talk back when you call their name...very friendly little guys.
...thanks for your comments on my geocaching and Canadian foodie lens...glad to hear we are like minded in the chocolate department ;o)
About the Author
Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen, aka Lizzy Jean, has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 3,903 lenses, favorited 446, and has created 193 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "California Condor". See all my lenses
Why Birds Do That
Why Birds Do That: 40 Distinctive Bird Behaviors Explained & Photographed
Amazon Price: $11.96 (as of 11/11/2009)![]()
Birds are fascinating. Their behavior is complex, often comical. Some sing while others do not. Why Birds Do That explains forty distinctive bird behaviors and is enhanced with numerous photographs. It is a must have book for both the backyard bird watcher as well as the avid birder.
Resources used to build this page
Peterson, T.P. & Peterson, V.M. 2002. Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, N.Y.
Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology
Seattle Audubon Society
Black-capped Chickadee, Nature Works
Black-capped Chickadee, Chipper Woods Observatory
Love This Lens?
by ElizabethJeanAllen
I tell my students to Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, and Plan for the Future. With Squidoo I can do all three.
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