Discover the diverse array of Chickadee species that can be observed in Kansas through this comprehensive guide. It encompasses vivid photo identifications accompanied by descriptions, captivating audio recordings of their melodious songs, intriguing trivia, and much more.
Chickadees, those bustling little songbirds ceaselessly fluttering about in search of insects, readily make appearances at backyard feeders. Belonging to the Poecile family of avian creatures, these delightful birds consist of merely seven species, all of which exclusively inhabit North America.
In the captivating state of Kansas, three distinct types of chickadees can be encountered. The Black-capped Chickadees, highly prevalent and easily spotted, coexist with the less commonly sighted Carolina Chickadees and Mountain Chickadees.
Although Chickadees generally refrain from migrating, they may occasionally seek lower altitudes during winter months. To endure the frigid temperatures of winter, scientific studies have indicated that Chickadees employ various survival strategies such as food caching, roosting in hollows, and employing regulated nocturnal hypothermia to conserve energy.
Due to their elevated body temperature and the necessity to consume an amount of food equivalent to their own body weight, Chickadees possess an insatiable appetite!
The lifespan of Chickadees is relatively short, spanning only around two or three years. As adults, they may endure for just one year, during which they have the opportunity to engage in a single breeding season. However, instances of Chickadees surviving up to twelve years have been recorded.
Distinguishing between male and female Chickadees can prove challenging as they share identical appearances. Additionally, Black-capped Chickadees and Carolina Chickadees exhibit striking similarities, yet the former possesses more white feathers on its wings and produces a two-note song in contrast to the four-note song sung by the Carolina Chickadees.
Feasting upon insects and seeds, Chickadees frequently flock to backyard feeders in search of seeds or suet. Uncover a plethora of other backyard bird species that regularly grace Kansas, and avail a complimentary identification chart.
To facilitate the identification of Chickadee species found in Kansas, this guide relies on avibase and incorporates data collected from avid birdwatchers on ebird, thus ensuring the provision of authentic information regarding the timing of these birds’ sightings.
3 Varieties of Chickadees Found in Kansas:
1. Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadees can be observed year-round in Kansas, predominantly in the eastern regions. These charming birds feature in 29% of summer checklists and 37% of winter checklists submitted by devoted birdwatchers within the state.
Boasting endearing round heads and petite bodies, Black-capped Chickadees are adorned with black caps, beaks, and throats, along with white cheeks. Their back, wings, and tail exhibit shades of gray, while their bellies are lighter. They bear a striking resemblance to Carolina Chickadees.
Poecile atricapillus
Length: 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (9-14 g)
Wingspan: 6.3-8.3 in (16-21 cm)
Black-capped Chickadees do not partake in migration and can be spotted in the northern half of the United States and Canada.
These delightful birds can be found inhabiting forests, open woodlands, and parks. Their diet comprises seeds, berries, insects, spiders, and suet.
Black-capped Chickadee Call/Song:
Credit: Matt Wistrand, XC554222. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/554222.
Nests constructed by Black-capped Chickadees are typically located within old woodpecker nests, although they occasionally create their own cavities within decaying branches. Both male and female Chickadees partake in nest building, with the female subsequently lining it with moss and other soft materials such as fur.
Their clutch size can consist of up to thirteen eggs, requiring approximately two weeks for incubation and an additional two weeks for the younglings to depart from the nest.
To entice Black-capped Chickadees to your backyard, offer suet, sunflower seeds, peanuts, or peanut butter. These birds may even feed from your hand, often being among the first to discover new feeders. They also display a proclivity for utilizing nest boxes, particularly if furnished with wood shavings.
Fun Fact: The brain of a Black-capped Chickadee exhibits remarkable plasticity. Each year, they permit the demise of old neural cells, discarding unnecessary information, while concurrently generating fresh neurons and assimilating new knowledge.
2. Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Chickadees remain year-round residents of Kansas, predominantly favoring the southeastern regions. They feature in a mere 2% of summer and winter checklists.
These diminutive birds possess prominent heads, black caps and throats, white cheeks and bellies, as well as soft gray plumage on their backs, wings, and tails.
Closely resembling the Black-capped Chickadee, Carolina Chickadees occasionally interbreed in overlapping ranges, albeit the occurrence of such overlap is relatively limited. Notably, the wings of the Black-capped Chickadee possess more white feathers than their Carolina counterparts.
Poecile carolinensis
Length: 3.9-4.7 in (10-12 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (8-12 g)
Wingspan: 5.9-7.9 in (15-20 cm)
Carolina Chickadees inhabit the eastern and southeastern regions of the United States throughout the entire year.
These delightful birds frequent forested areas, parks, and even residential backyards. In the summer, their diet predominantly consists of insects and spiders, whereas plant material comprises approximately half of their winter sustenance.
Carolina Chickadee Song:
Credit: Brian Hendrix, XC572217. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/572217.
Carolina Chickadees typically nest within cavities they excavate themselves or those initially created by other species or natural hollows. The interior of the cavity is lined with moss, succeeded by softer materials like hair. Their clutch may encompass up to ten eggs, necessitating approximately two weeks of incubation, followed by two to three weeks for the fledglings to abandon the nest.
Enticing Carolina Chickadees to your backyard feeders involves offering black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, suet feeders, or peanuts. These delightful birds readily partake in various feeder types, such as tube feeders, suet cages, or platform feeders. They also demonstrate a proclivity for nesting in nest boxes or tubes.
3. Mountain Chickadee
Mountain Chickadees are relatively infrequent visitors to Kansas, although they have been sighted in the southwestern regions during winter.
Sporting black-and-white heads, gray bodies, darker backs, and light gray underbellies, Mountain Chickade es exhibit a petite stature.
Poecile gambeli
Length: 4.3-5.5 in (11-14 cm)
Weight: 0.4 oz (11 g)
Mountain Chickadees remain year-round inhabitants of the mountains in western regions of the United States. Although they do not migrate, they may descend to lower elevations during winter.
Evergreen forests, particularly those encompassing pine and conifer trees, serve as the favored habitats of Mountain Chickadees. Their diet consists of insects, spiders, nuts, seeds, and they frequently pay visits to backyard feeders. Remarkably, these Chickadees often hoard food for future consumption, establishing well-stocked provisions.
Credit: Richard E. Webster, XC619853. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/619853.
Mountain Chickadees typically select aging nesting holes previously occupied by woodpeckers and nuthatches. The female Chickadee lines the cavity with fur, ensuring the eggs are well-covered when she departs. Their clutch usually contains up to nine eggs, necessitating approximately two weeks of incubation and three additional weeks before the fledglings venture outside the nest.
To attract Mountain Chickadees to your yard, erect nest boxes, and provide a tempting array of offerings such as black oil sunflower seeds, mealworms, nyjer, suet, and peanut butter.
Fun Fact: Mountain Chickadee eggs undergo an incubation period 50% longer than those of other Chickadee species, most likely due to the protective nature of their chosen nesting sites, coupled with the female’s habit of covering the eggs when she leaves.
Attracting Chickadees to Your Backyard
The sheer delight of observing Chickadees, forever in a hurry to secure sustenance, beckons the desire to entice more of these charming birds into your yard. To achieve this, consider the following suggestions:
– Provide feeders stocked with black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, suet, or peanuts.
– Various feeder types, such as tube feeders, suet cages, or platform feeders, are suitable for Chickadees’ feeding habits.
– Establish a water source, ideally a birdbath with running water.
– Plant trees and shrubs that bear berries, attracting insects, which in turn lure Chickadees.
– Refrain from using pesticides or herbicides, as Chickadees rely on insects as a crucial food source.
– Offer shelter through the presence of trees and shrubs.
– Install nest boxes with small holes measuring 1 1/8 inch, positioned 5 to 15 feet above the ground.
– Keep cats indoors to ensure the safety of Chickadees.
– Exercise patience, as it may take time for birds to discover your yard and feeders.
Chickadee Melodies and Calls
Chickadees are renowned for their signature “chick a dee” call, which, interestingly, serves as a mild alarm or contact call, while their song actually encompasses a delightful “fee bee” sound.
Chickadee Vocalizations:
1. Fee-bee
– Produced by males
– The first note carries a higher pitch than the second
– Males tend to move away from one another when singing
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 beckon the male for feeding when she is incubating
– Utilized for communication between parents and their offspring
3. Chick-a-dee call
– Functions as a mild alarm call
– Serves as a contact call within flocks
– Facilitates coordination of movements within flocks
Credit: GABRIEL LEITE, XC420822. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/420822.
4. Gargle
– Comprises a series of two to nine short notes
– Serves as a warning call when birds come into close proximity within flocks or near feeders
– Functions as a preemptive signal before a Chickadee might engage in an aggressive behavior to maintain distance
Credit: Todd Wilson, XC42956. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/42956.
5. Begging Call
– Young Chickadees produce “bee” calls to communicate their hunger and prompt their parents to feed them
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC36609. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/36609.
6. High Seet Call
– An alarm call indicative of the presence of predators
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC35305. Available at www.xeno-canto.org/35305.
Frequency of Chickadee Sightings in Kansas during Summer and Winter
Checklists provide valuable insights into the frequency of bird sightings within a given state. The following data showcases the prevalence of different Chickadee species based on checklists submitted on ebird for summer and winter observations in Kansas:
Chickadees in Kansas during Summer:
– Black-capped Chickadee: 29.2%
– Carolina Chickadee: 1.9%
– Mountain Chickadee: <0.1%
Chickadees in Kansas during Winter:
– Black-capped Chickadee: 37.0%
– Carolina Chickadee: 2.0%
– Mountain Chickadee: <0.1%