Common Nesting Birds

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Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli)


Photo © Darrell E. Spangler

Mountain Chickadee eggs

Photo © RenĂ© Corado

Mountain Chickadee nest

Photo © RenĂ© Corado

Adult

Photo © Michael Woodruff / Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Marc North / Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © John C Breitsch / Macaulay Library

Adult (with Downy Woodpecker)

Photo © Dennis Leonard / Macaulay Library

Habitat

Photo © Ian Hearn / Macaulay Library

Song

© Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library

Song

© Nathan Pieplow

Song

© Nathan Pieplow

Calls

© Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Parker Davis / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Austin Young / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Geoffrey A. Keller / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Thomas G. Sander / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Bob McGuire / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Brad Walker / Macaulay Library

When To Look

Source: Birds of the World

Where To Find It

Habitats

forest

mountain

Substrates

ground

Nestbox or Birdhouse

Live Tree Cavity

Dead Tree Cavity

What You'll Find

Nest Type

cavity

Chick

Altricial

Clutch Size

5
9

Nest Height

80 ft
0 ft

Nesting Statistics

Incubation Period

12-15
days

Brooding Period

17-23
days

Useful Hints

  • Inside the cavity, the female makes a neat cup from fur she gathers. She also makes a fur plug or cap that she uses to cover her eggs when she leaves the cavity.
  • Early in the breeding season, the male leads the female to cavities in his territory and may enter while she watches. She ultimately selects the cavity.
  • Renesting attempts and second clutches are in different cavities from the first attempt, but both boxes and natural cavities often are reused in subsequent years.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cornell Lab of Ornithology