In South Carolina, this comprehensive handbook serves as your guide to identifying the various species of Chickadees. Through photo identification, detailed descriptions, captivating audio recordings of their songs, and intriguing facts, you’ll discover a wealth of information and more.
Chickadees, those energetic little songbirds, flutter about in search of insects and readily frequent backyard feeders. Belonging to the avian Poecile family, there exist only seven distinct Chickadee species, all of which exclusively inhabit North America.
Within South Carolina’s borders, you’ll encounter just one Chickadee species: the remarkable Carolina Chickadee.
While these Chickadees do not embark on migratory journeys, they may seek lower altitudes during the winter season. Studies have shown that, to endure the frigid months, Chickadees employ survival tactics such as storing food, seeking shelter in cavities, and entering regulated nocturnal hypothermia, all aimed at conserving energy.
Fueled by their high body temperature, Chickadees possess an insatiable appetite, requiring them to consume an amount of food equivalent to their own body weight each day!
Unfortunately, Chickadees have relatively short lifespans, lasting a mere two to three years, with some individuals reaching a maximum age of twelve years. As adults, they experience only one breeding season, further accentuating their transient existence.
Distinguishing between male and female Chickadees proves challenging due to their near-identical appearances. However, it is the male Chickadees who unleash the resounding chorus of the louder ‘Fee-bee’ song.
Feasting on insects and seeds, Chickadees frequently converge upon backyard feeders in search of sustenance. If you’re curious about the other avian visitors that regularly grace South Carolina, be sure to obtain a complimentary identification chart.
This comprehensive manual empowers you to recognize the Chickadee species found in South Carolina, leveraging data from the renowned avibase and insights gathered by dedicated bird watchers on ebird, ensuring authenticity and accuracy in your observations.
Varieties of Chickadees in South Carolina:
1. Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Chickadees abound in South Carolina throughout the year. They appear on 40% of summer checklists and 49% of winter checklists submitted by vigilant bird watchers within the state.
Carolina Chickadees, petite in stature, showcase prominent heads, black caps, and throats, as well as white cheeks, bellies, and soft gray plumage adorning their backs, wings, and tails.
Resembling their Black-capped counterparts, Carolina Chickadees occasionally interbreed where their territories intersect. Nevertheless, their ranges rarely overlap. Additionally, Black-capped Chickadees exhibit greater white plumage in their wings compared to Carolina Chickadees.
Scientific name: Poecile carolinensis
Length: 3.9-4.7 inches (10-12 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 ounces (8-12 g)
Wingspan: 5.9-7.9 inches (15-20 cm)
Carolina Chickadees thrive year-round in the eastern and southeastern regions of the United States.
Forested areas, parks, and backyards serve as common haunts for Carolina Chickadees. During the summer, their diet primarily consists of insects and spiders, while winter prompts a shift to approximately half plant-based sustenance.
Carolina Chickadee Song:
Credit: Brian Hendrix, XC572217. Retrieved from www.xeno-canto.org/572217.
Carolina Chickadees fashion nests within self-made crevices, preexisting cavities, or the abandoned dwellings of other species. They line these nesting
sites with moss and subsequently add softer materials, including hair. The incubation period lasts around two weeks, and it takes an additional two to three weeks before the fledglings depart the nest.
To entice Carolina Chickadees to your backyard feeders, consider offering black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, suet feeders, or peanuts. These resourceful birds will partake in various feeder types such as tube feeders, suet cages, or platform feeders. They may also choose to establish nests within designated nest boxes or nest tubes.
Attracting Chickadees to Your Backyard
With their ceaseless hustle to procure sustenance, Chickadees provide delightful entertainment. If you desire a more abundant presence of these endearing avian creatures, follow these steps to entice them into your yard:
1. Supply feeders with black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, suet, or peanuts.
2. Embrace various feeder types, including tube feeders, suet cages, or platform feeders.
3. Establish a water source, preferably a birdbath with running water.
4. Cultivate berry-producing trees and shrubs to attract insects.
5. Refrain from using pesticides or herbicides, as Chickadees rely on insects for sustenance.
6. Create a haven with the presence of trees and shrubs.
7. Provide nest boxes featuring small entrance holes measuring 1 1/8 inches and elevate them 5 to 15 feet above ground.
8. Ensure cats remain indoors to safeguard the avian visitors.
9. Exercise patience, as it may take some time for birds to discover your yard and feeders.
Chickadee Melodies and Calls
Chickadees have gained fame for their eponymous “chick a dee” call. Surprisingly, this call functions as a mild alarm or contact call, whereas their actual song consists of a melodious “fee bee” sound.
Chickadee Sounds:
1. Fee-bee
Produced exclusively by males.
The initial note holds a higher pitch compared to the subsequent one.
Males distance themselves from other males when singing.
Credit: Matt Wistrand, XC554222. Retrieved from www.xeno-canto.org/554222.
2. Faint Fee-bee
Produced by both males and females.
Females employ this call to summon the male for feeding during incubation.
Used for communication between parents and their young.
3. Chick-a-dee call
Serves as a mild alarm call.
Contact calls within flocks.
Coordinates movement within flocks.
Credit: GABRIEL LEITE, XC420822. Retrieved from www.xeno-canto.org/420822.
4. Gargle
Comprises a series of two to nine short notes.
Employed when birds encroach too closely within flocks or near feeders.
Serves as a warning call preceding potential attacks to establish a greater distance between Chickadees.
Credit: Todd Wilson, XC42956. Retrieved from www.xeno-canto.org/42956.
5. Begging Call
Young Chickadees emit bee-like calls to prompt parental feeding.
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC36609. Retrieved from www.xeno-canto.org/36609.
6. High Seet Call
Alarm call to signal the presence of predators.
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC35305. Retrieved from www.xeno-canto.org/35305.