The Chickadee Clan

Often the first visitor to a new wild bird feeder (provided it's filled with the #1 favorite seed -- black oil sunflower seed), will be the endearing chickadee!

By John Rakestraw

Among the most common and most active visitors to backyard bird feeders are the chickadees. These small birds usually travel in groups, keeping track of each other by their constant calls. They are curious and bold, sometimes taking sunflower seeds directly from your hand. Chickadees usually take one seed at a time from a feeder and then fly to a secluded perch to eat. Holding the seed with their feet, they hammer the seed with their bills to crack the shell. Chickadees nest in cavities, which they excavate in rotting wood. They will also readily accept nest boxes.

Common in neighborhoods and mixed woods, the Black-capped Chickadee is easily recognized by its black cap and bib, sandwiching bright white cheeks. Black-caps are predominantly gray on the upperparts, white on the belly, with a buffy tinge on the sides. These birds give a variety of chips and whistles, but their most familiar call is the one that gives them their name, “chickadee dee dee.”

Chestnut-backed Chickadees get their name from the rusty coloring on their backs and sides. They share the bold head pattern and gray wings of the Black-capped. Most often found in stands of large conifers, Chestnut-backs are smaller than other chickadees and have higher, buzzier calls.

Usually found at higher elevations, the Mountain Chickadee occasionally wanders into the valleys during some winters. This bird is very similar to the Black-capped, but plainer gray, lacking the buffy color on the sides. While not always obvious, the most distinctive feature of the Mountain Chickadee is the white eyebrow (supercillium).

About the size of a hummingbird, but with a long tail, the Bushtit is plain brownish gray with a slight yellowish tinge on the head. Adult females have distinctive whitish eyes, which set them apart from the dark eyed juveniles and adult males. Active and vocal, like the chickadees, Bushtits often travel in flocks (sometimes in swarms) and will huddle together in a large mass to conserve heat on cold nights. Their tiny bills are built for eating insects, not seeds, so Bushtits seldom visit seed feeders (They will occasionally eat rain-softened sunflower chips.). But these birds eagerly gather to dine on peanut butter or suet. In the spring, the large flocks break up for the nesting season and Bushtit pairs build elaborate woven bag nests that hang from branches. After the young mature, the family travels together as a group before joining a larger flock later in the fall.