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Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Description:

Size & Shape This tiny bird has a short neck and large head, giving it a distinctive, rather spherical body shape. It also has a long, narrow tail and a short bill a bit thicker than a warbler’s but thinner than a finch’s. Color Pattern The cap and bib are black, the cheeks white, the back soft gray, the wing feathers gray edged with white, and the underparts soft buffy on the sides grading to white beneath. The cap extends down just beyond the black eyes, making the small eyes tricky to see.

Habitat:

Chickadees may be found in any habitat that has trees or woody shrubs, from forests and woodlots to residential neighborhoods and parks, and sometimes weedy fields and cattail marshes. They frequently nest in birch or alder trees.

2 Species ID Suggestions

Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus


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2 Comments

JenKnight
JenKnight 11 years ago

I think you're right, black-capped chickadees have a more ragged "bib" and the Carolinas' have much more distinct borders. The black-caps also have more white in the wings.

Caleb Steindel
Caleb Steindel 11 years ago

yep, but which one.
i think black-capped

GregMasteller
Spotted by
GregMasteller

Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA

Spotted on May 13, 2013
Submitted on May 14, 2013

Spotted for Mission

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