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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 © Jean-Sébastien Guénette | Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Suzanne Labbé | Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Kent McFarland | Macaulay Library

Adult

Photo © Monique Maynard | Macaulay Library

Song

© William W. H. Gunn | Macaulay Library

Song and calls

© William W. H. Gunn | Macaulay Library

Calls

© Gregory Budney | Macaulay Library

Calls

© Kevin J. Colver | Macaulay Library

Calls

© Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library

Calls

© Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library

When To Look

Source: Birds of North America Online

Where To Find It

Source: Birds of North America Online

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.

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