Common Nesting Birds

meet your neighbors

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Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Photo © Lyn Winans

Black-capped Chickadee

Photo © Sharon Beals, from the collection of Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates

Black-capped Chickadee eggs

Photo © René Corado

Black-capped Chickadee nest

Photo © René Corado

Adult

Photo © Scott Martin / Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Kyle Tansley / Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Evan Lipton / Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Darlene Friedman / Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Kent McFarland / Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Monique Maynard / Macaulay Library

Song

© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

Song

© William W. H. Gunn / Macaulay Library

Song

© Bob Bethune / Macaulay Library

Song

© Dave Slager / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Doug Hitchcox / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Brad Walker / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Bob McGuire / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Ian Carlsen / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

Juvenile calls

© Brad Walker / Macaulay Library

When To Look

Source: Birds of the World

Where To Find It

Source: Birds of the World

Habitats

forest

open woodland

town

Substrates

Nestbox or Birdhouse

Live Tree Cavity

Dead Tree Cavity

What You'll Find

Nest Type

cavity

Chick

Altricial

Clutch Size

6
8

Nest Height

20 ft
4 ft

Nesting Statistics

Incubation Period

12-13
days

Brooding Period

12-16
days

Useful Hints

  • Both members of a pair will excavate a nest cavity in rotten wood, or enlarge an abandoned woodpecker cavity.
  • Chickadees often incorporate moss and animal fur into their nests, which the female builds.
  • Parental behavior during egg laying includes some mate-guarding, and “courtship” feeding is particularly prominent in response to broken “dee” vocalizations.

More Resources

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cornell Lab of Ornithology