THE BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE by Kush B.
Scientific Name:
Poecile atricapillus
Description:
Black-capped Chickadees are 4 3/4’’- 5 3/4’’ long. They have a black cap(head) and bib(throat/neck), white cheeks, a grey back, buff sides, and white below their sides. Female chickadees have similar coloring. Their lifespan is about 2-3 years.
Habitat:
They can be found throughout Canada and the Northern United States. They usually live in mixed and deciduous woodlands and gardens.
Diet:
Insects, seeds, and berries
Offspring:
They make nests in holes, laying 5-8 eggs, which take around 12 days to hatch; they have more than one brood per year.
Predators:
Hawks and owls capture adult chickadees, but nestlings and eggs are in more danger of being consumed by tree-climbing mammals. A chickadee's alarm call sounds just like its name. Chickadees warn their flocks of nearby predators like owls and hawks by sounding out “chickadee-dee-dee!”
Fun Facts:
- The Black-Capped Chickadee uses its short beak to peck out nesting holes in trees and stumps. They do not like to move into ready-made holes such as those made by other birds or birdhouses put out in gardens
- The Black-Capped Chickadee is the state bird of Maine and Massachusetts
- These little birds are known as "chickadees" because of their alarm call. This type of name is onomatopoetic which means the name of the bird comes from the sound it makes