In Connecticut, this comprehensive manual will assist you in identifying all the varieties of Chickadees through photo identifications, detailed descriptions, captivating audio recordings of their melodic tunes, intriguing facts, and much more.
Chickadees, those lively little songbirds, flit around tirelessly in search of insects, readily paying visits to backyard feeders. They belong to the Poecile family of avian creatures, and the North American continent is home to just seven species of these charming Chickadees.
Throughout the year, you can spot Black-capped Chickadees in Connecticut, while Boreal Chickadees have been occasionally observed during the winter season.
While Chickadees don’t embark on migratory journeys, they may seek lower altitudes during the winter months. To endure the frigid winter, research has indicated that Chickadees employ various survival tactics such as caching food, finding refuge in cavities, and entering a state of regulated nocturnal hypothermia to conserve energy.
Due to their elevated body temperature and constant need for sustenance, Chickadees possess an insatiable appetite, consuming an amount of food equivalent to their own body weight on a daily basis!
Typically, Chickadees do not lead long lives, with an average lifespan of merely two to three years. In fact, as adults, they often live for only a single year and undergo just one breeding season. However, there have been recorded instances of Chickadees surviving for up to twelve years.
Distinguishing between male and female Chickadees can be quite challenging since they share a similar appearance. Only the males serenade with a loud and distinctive “Fee Bee” song.
Chickadees indulge in a diet consisting of insects and seeds, and they frequently visit backyard feeders in search of nourishing seeds or suet. Discover the various other species of backyard birds that frequently grace Connecticut’s landscapes and acquire a complimentary identification chart.
This comprehensive manual will assist you in identifying the Chickadee species found in Connecticut. By referencing avibase and incorporating data collected from avid birdwatchers on ebird, this guide provides authentic information about the specific timings to spot these avian wonders.
Connecticut’s Chickadee Varieties:
1. Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadees are year-round residents of Connecticut. They abstain from migratory journeys and have been observed in 34% of summer checklists and 43% of winter checklists submitted by diligent birdwatchers in the state.
Black-capped Chickadees boast endearing features, including their round heads and petite bodies. These delightful birds eagerly visit backyard feeders, showing inquisitiveness towards everything, including human observers!
With black caps, beaks, and throats, accompanied by white cheeks, they showcase gray hues on their backs, wings, and tails. Their bellies exhibit a lighter shade. They bear a striking resemblance to Carolina Chickadees.
Poecile atricapillus
Length: 4.7-5.9 inches (12-15 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.5 ounces (9-14 g)
Wingspan: 6.3-8.3 inches (16-21 cm)
Black-capped Chickadees refrain from migrating and can be found in the northern regions of the United States and Canada.
These delightful birds can be spotted in forests, open woodlands, and parks. Their diet consists of seeds, berries, insects, spiders, and suet.
Black-capped Chickadee Call/Song:
Credit: Matt Wistrand, XC554222. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/554222.
Nests of Black-capped Chickadees are often situated within old woodpecker nests. However, they may also create their own cavities within decaying branches. Both the male and female participate in nest construction, with the female lining it with moss and subsequently incorporating softer materials like fur.
They can lay a considerable clutch of up to thirteen eggs, requiring approximately two weeks for incubation and an additional two weeks for the young to leave the nest.
To attract Black-capped Chickadees to your backyard, provide suet, sunflower seeds, peanuts, or peanut butter. These affable birds may even feed from your hand and often display a knack for discovering new feeders. They also show a preference for nest boxes filled with wood shavings.
Fascinating Fact: The brains of Black-capped Chickadees possess a remarkable ability to shed old neurons every year, discarding unnecessary information and replacing them with new neurons and knowledge.
2. Boreal Chickadee
Boreal Chickadees are regarded as rare or accidental species in Connecticut, although a few sightings have been recorded during the winter season.
These diminutive grayish-brown songbirds exhibit dark brown caps, small black bibs, cinnamon-colored sides, and white undersides and cheeks.
Poecile hudsonicus
Length: 4.9-5.5 inches (12.5-14 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 ounces (7-12.4 g)
Boreal Chickadees primarily inhabit Canada and Alaska, occasionally venturing into the northern states of the United States.
You can primarily find Boreal Chickadees in coniferous forests, often in close proximity to water sources. However, they can also be encountered in deciduous or mixed forests. Their diet consists of seeds and insects, predominantly collected from the upper canopy, and they readily visit feeders.
Credit: Ken Hall, XC511286. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/511286.
Nests of Boreal Chickadees are typically found in deceased trees, with the female responsible for creating the cavity. Moss and bark are used to line the nest, followed by the addition of softer materials like hair and feathers. They lay up to nine eggs, which hatch in a little over two weeks.
To attract Boreal Chickadees to your backyard, offer black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, suet, peanuts, and mealworms using a variety of feeders. Additionally, installing a nesting box can entice a mating pair.
Fascinating Fact: Boreal Chickadees stockpile seeds and insects to sustain themselves during the long and arduous winter months.
Enticing Chickadees to Your Backyard
Observing the ceaseless flurry of Chickadees in search of sustenance is an absolute delight. To attract these adorable avian creatures to your yard, follow these guidelines:
- Supply feeders with black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, suet, or peanuts.
- They will feed from various feeder types, including tube feeders, suet cages, or platform feeders.
- Provide a water source, preferably a birdbath with running water.
- Plant trees and shrubs that produce berries, attracting insects.
- Avoid using pesticides or herbicides, as Chickadees rely on insects for sustenance.
- Offer shelter through the presence of trees and shrubs.
- Provide nesting boxes with a small hole measuring 1 1/8 inch, positioned 5-15 feet above the ground.
- Keep cats indoors to ensure the safety of the birds.
- Exercise patience, as it may take some time for the birds to discover your yard and feeders.
Chickadee Songs and Calls
Chickadees are renowned for their distinctive “chick a dee” call, although it serves as a mild alarm or contact call. Their actual song is a melodious “fee bee” sound.
Chickadee Sounds:
1. Fee-bee
Produced by males.
The first note has a higher pitch compared to the second note.
Males tend to sing away from other males.
Credit: Matt Wistrand, XC554222. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/554222.
2. Faint Fee-bee
Produced by both males and females.
Females utilize this call to summon the male for feeding while she incubates the eggs.
Used in communication between parents and young.
3. Chick-a-dee call
Mild alarm call.
Contact call within flocks.
Used to coordinate movements among flocks.
Credit: GABRIEL LEITE, XC420822. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/420822.
4. Gargle
Consists of a series of two to nine short notes.
Employed when birds get too close to each other or to feeders.
Functions as a warning call, prompting the recipient to retreat further away.
Credit: Todd Wilson, XC42956. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/42956.
5. Begging Call
Young chickadees produce bee-like calls to solicit food from their parents.
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC36609. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/36609.
6. High Seet Call
Alarm call signaling the presence of predators.
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC35305. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/35305.
Frequency of Chickadee Sightings in Connecticut during Summer and Winter
Checklists serve as valuable resources for determining the common bird species observed in a particular state. The following percentages represent the frequency of Chickadee sightings in summer and winter in Connecticut based on ebird checklists:
Chickadees in Connecticut during Summer:
Black-capped Chickadee: 34.3%
Chickadees in Connecticut during Winter:
Black-capped Chickadee: 43.6%
Boreal Chickadee: <0.1%