My entry to DNA’s Species Hunt announced by
@medro-martin.Black Capped Chickadee (Poecile Atricapillus)
The above species, Black Capped Chickadee, I have observed on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
This bird belongs to the Chickadee family. The black capped chickadees are common in North America while other species are called Tits.
Classification:
- Kingdom: ...Animalia
- Phylum: ...Chordata
- Class: ...Aves
- Order: ...Passeriformes
- Family: ...Tit (Paridae)
- Genus: ...Poecile
- Species: ...Chickadees
There are seven species of the chickadees:
- Black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus
- Boreal chickadee, Poecile hudsonicus
- Carolina chickadee, Poecile carolinensis
- Chestnut-backed chickadee, Poecile rufescens
- Grey-headed chickadee, Poecile cinctus
- Mexican chickadee, Poecile sclateri
- Mountain chickadee, Poecile gambeli
Below photos taken February 15, 2021. Coordinates (46.0832° N, 62.6146° W).
Black Capped Chickadee-back view
These photos are of the black capped chickadee visiting my back deck in the wintertime. Normally this species stays in the forest but I noticed this one comes out to see what food might be left from what I put out for a feral cat and the Blue Jays in the cold winter.
The Black Caps are non-migratory birds and I often hear the delightful familiar chick-a- dee-dee-dee of their song all year. This song is also a warning if they see a predator. The greater the danger, the longer the dees.
Appearance:
Body: ...The little round body with the larger head and no neck makes this bird as cute as can be. The head has a black cap and the breast has a black bib. The underside of the body is white and the back and tail a dark gray. The dark colored beak is small and the tail long. The length of the bird is approximately five inches with a short wing span.
Eyes: tiny round dark eyes
Legs: short legs and claws that seem sufficient to grip branches and walk along level objects.
Other dominant visible characteristics: The male and female are about the same size. They look alike except the male has a bigger black bib on the chest.
Places of Spread
- Mainly found in wooded areas of the forest and orchards throughout Canada and into some parts of the U.S.A. I have seen them in the deciduous trees, near the edge of the forest, in summer.
- Also spread in winter to neighborhoods to feeders to help them survive the colder temperatures when their food is scarce.
Diet
The black capped chickadee eats insects and in summer would eat seeds and berries also. This chickadee, I have observed the last three years, likes salt-free peanuts I put out for the squirrel and blue jays.
Although the peanut looks huge, he carries it away with him to store for later and probably hammers it with his beak to break up to eat. He also steals dry cat food from the feral cat’s food dish I leave outside on the deck.
He will pick at bread crumbs and the sunflower seeds found after the larger birds, such as, blue jays have their fill.
The Black Capped Chickadee with a peanut in his mouth. He looked so hilarious sitting on the deck railing I had to take a photo.
Peculiarities and Rarity
I have noticed this chickadee has a good memory as he has returned the last three years to my back deck in the colder winter weather to forge for food I leave out. In summer I only hear their call in the forest.
These little birds are quick moving and I noticed this one flies off immediately with food and then may return in a few minutes.
My observations are of the activities I see of one chickadee that has faithfully visited my back deck every winter for the last three years. I know they do gather in flocks but I haven’t seen more than one or two together.
Information Usage & Copyright Declaration:
The information provided in this post is provided based on my own observations. The pictures used in this post are original and taken by myself,
@redheadpei, with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 camera. I allow DNA to use the images and the information provided for DNA work within their publicly visible projects.