Discover the diverse array of Chickadee species found in Missouri through this comprehensive guide, featuring captivating photo IDs, detailed descriptions, enchanting audio recordings of their melodious songs, and an assortment of intriguing facts, and more.
Chickadees, the industrious and nimble songbirds, gracefully flit about in search of insects, readily frequenting backyard feeders. Belonging to the Poecile avian family, these delightful creatures consist of merely seven species, all of which call North America their home.
Missouri boasts the presence of two distinct Chickadee varieties, namely the Black-capped Chickadee and the Carolina Chickadee.
While Chickadees generally refrain from migrating, they may occasionally venture towards lower elevations during winter months. To brave the chilly temperatures, scientific studies have revealed their remarkable survival strategies, such as food caching, seeking refuge within cavities, and entering a regulated state of nocturnal hypothermia to conserve energy.
With their elevated body temperatures, Chickadees possess an insatiable appetite, necessitating the consumption of food equivalent to their own weight each day!
Typically, Chickadees lead relatively brief lives, averaging a mere two to three years. As adults, they may only experience a solitary breeding season, with some exceptional records of Chickadees living up to twelve years.
Distinguishing between male and female Chickadees can be challenging due to their indistinguishable appearance. However, male Chickadees stand apart by producing a resonant and vibrant ‘Fee-bee’ song.
Both the Black-capped Chickadee and the Carolina Chickadee exhibit striking similarities in appearance. However, the former showcases more prominent white wing markings and emits a two-note song in contrast to the Carolina Chickadee’s four-note melody.
Chickadees nourish themselves with a diet comprising insects and seeds, frequently visiting backyard feeders in search of delectable seeds or suet. Additionally, you can explore a multitude of other avian species that frequently grace Missouri and even obtain a complimentary identification chart.
This guide serves as an invaluable resource for identifying the various Chickadee species sighted in Missouri, drawing insights from avibase and utilizing data collected by avid bird watchers on ebird to provide accurate information about their sighting patterns.
2 Chickadee Varieties in Missouri:
1. Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadees, abundantly present throughout the year, primarily inhabit the northern regions of Missouri. They feature in approximately 18% of checklists during the summer and 23% during the winter, as reported by enthusiastic bird watchers within the state.
Sporting endearing round heads atop tiny bodies, Black-capped Chickadees exude charm and grace. These delightful birds eagerly partake in backyard feasts and curiously investigate their surroundings, even including human observers!
With their black caps, beaks, and throats, along with white cheeks, these Chickadees exhibit a gray coloration on their backs, wings, and tails, while their bellies bear a lighter hue. Resembling their Carolina counterparts, they present a striking resemblance.
Scientific Name: 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 refrain from migration and can be observed in the northern half of the United States and Canada.
You can encounter Black-capped Chickadees in lush forests, open woodlands, and scenic parks. Their diet consists of seeds, berries, insects, spiders, and suet.
Black-capped Chickadee Call/Song:
Credit: Matt Wistrand, XC554222. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/554222.
Black-capped Chickadees typically nest within abandoned woodpecker nests, although they can also create their own cavities in decaying branches. Both male and female Chickadees partake in constructing the nest, with the female adorning it with moss and other soft materials, such as fur.
Clutches of Black-capped Chickadee eggs can be substantial, with up to thirteen eggs. Incubation lasts approximately two weeks, followed by an additional two-week period until the fledglings leave the nest.
Attract Black-capped Chickadees to your backyard by offering suet, sunflower seeds, peanuts, or peanut butter. These delightful creatures may even feed directly from your hand, often among the first to discover new feeding stations. They also display a fondness for nest boxes, particularly if they are filled with wood shavings.
Fun Fact: Black-capped Chickadees exhibit incredible brain plasticity, annually discarding obsolete information by allowing old brain neurons to perish while replacing them with new neurons and fresh knowledge.
2. Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Chickadees can be found throughout the year in Missouri, primarily in the southern regions of the state. They account for approximately 18% of summer checklists and 21% of winter checklists.
These diminutive birds possess notable features, including their substantial heads, black caps and throats, white cheeks and bellies, and soft gray backs, wings, and tails.
Carolina Chickadees bear a striking resemblance to Black-capped Chickadees and may interbreed in regions of overlapping habitats, although such areas are limited. Distinguishing them further, the Black-capped Chickadee exhibits more extensive white wing markings compared to their Carolina counterparts.
Scientific Name: 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 reside year-round in the eastern and southeastern regions of the United States.
You can encounter Carolina Chickadees amidst forested areas, scenic parks, and even within the comfort of your backyard. During the summer months, their diet primarily comprises insects and spiders, while roughly half of their winter diet consists of plant material.
Carolina Chickadee Song:
Credit: Brian Hendrix, XC572217. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/572217.
Carolina Chickadees construct nests within self-made cavities or repurpose holes created by other species or natural cavities. They skillfully line the nests with moss and other softer materials, such as hair. The female lays up to ten eggs, which take approximately two weeks to hatch, followed by an additional two to three weeks until the young venture out of the nest.
To entice Carolina Chickadees to your backyard feeders, offer black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, suet feeders, or peanuts. These delightful birds happily dine on various feeder types, including tube feeders, suet cages, and platform feeders. They are also inclined to make use of nest boxes and nest tubes for nesting purposes.
Attract Chickadees to Your Backyard
Observing Chickadees in action as they scurry around in pursuit of sustenance proves to be an enchanting sight. If you wish to witness more of these adorable avian wonders, take the necessary steps to attract them to your yard.
1. Supply feeders with black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, suet, or peanuts.
2. Chickadees readily feed from a range of feeder types, including tube feeders, suet cages, and platform feeders.
3. Provide a water source such as a birdbath, ideally with flowing water.
4. Cultivate berry-producing trees and shrubs that entice insects, a favored food source for Chickadees.
5. Refrain from using pesticides or herbicides, as Chickadees rely on insects as a vital part of their diet.
6. Offer shelter by planting trees and shrubs, providing a safe haven for these delightful birds.
7. Consider installing nest boxes with small 1 1/8-inch holes, positioned 5 to 15 feet above the ground.
8. Keep cats indoors to ensure the safety of Chickadees and other vulnerable bird species.
9. Exercise patience, as it may take time for birds to discover your yard and feeders.
Chickadee Songs and Calls
Chickadees have garnered renown for their namesake “chick-a-dee” call, which serves as a mild alarm or contact call. Surprisingly, their melodious song actually consists of a charming “fee-bee” sound.
Chickadee Sounds:
1. Fee-bee
Produced by male Chickadees
The initial note exhibits a higher pitch than the second note
Male Chickadees tend to distance themselves from one another while singing
Credit: Matt Wistrand, XC554222. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/554222.
2. Faint Fee-bee
Produced by both male and female Chickadees
Females utilize this call to summon males for feeding while they incubate eggs
Used for communication between parents and their young
3. Chick-a-dee Call
Mild alarm call
Contact calls within flocks
Coordinate movements within flocks
Credit: GABRIEL LEITE, XC420822. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/420822.
4. Gargle
Comprises a series of two to nine short notes
Issued as a warning when birds become too close within flocks or at feeders
Serves as a precursor to deter potential aggression and establish appropriate distance
Credit: Todd Wilson, XC42956. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/42956.
5. Begging Call
Young Chickadees emit “bee” calls to elicit feeding responses from their parents
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC36609. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/36609.
6. High Seet Call
Alarm call signaling the presence of predators
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC35305. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/35305.
Frequency of Chickadee Sightings in Missouri During Summer and Winter
Checklists serve as invaluable resources for discerning the common avian inhabitants of a given state. Such lists provide insights into the prevalence of Chickadee sightings during summer and winter in Missouri, as recorded on ebird.
Chickadees in Missouri during Summer:
Black-capped Chickadee: 18.9%
Carolina Chickadee: 18.6%
Chickadees in Missouri during Winter:
Black-capped Chickadee: 23.8%
Carolina Chickadee: 21.7%