Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Also called chickadee.
Usually the first bird to find a new feeder, and the one that leads mixed winter flocks. It takes one seed at a time and flies off to eat it, which is a reliable behavioural tell.
- Size
- Smaller than a sparrow — 12–15 cm
- Bill
- Short and conical
- Where
- feeder, woodland, yard
- Season
- year round
What it looks like
A black cap and black bib separated by bright white cheeks, grey above, buffy white below. Tiny, round and constantly active.
The checks that confirm it
- Black cap and black bib with clean white cheeks between them.
- Grey back, no wing bars of note, white edging on the wing feathers.
- Takes a single seed and leaves — it does not sit and feed.
- Hangs upside down from twigs habitually.
Voice
A clear whistled 'fee-bee' on two notes, and the scolding 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee' that names it. More 'dee' notes means more alarm.
Attracting it
Black oil sunflower, suet and peanuts. They will learn to take seed from a hand more readily than almost any other wild bird.
Confused with
Southern, and effectively identical. Song is a faster four-note whistle. Where the ranges meet the two hybridise and cannot be separated in the field.
Larger, grey, crested, with a black forehead and no bib.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a black-capped chickadee?
Black cap and black bib with clean white cheeks between them. Grey back, no wing bars of note, white edging on the wing feathers.
What does a black-capped chickadee sound like?
A clear whistled 'fee-bee' on two notes, and the scolding 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee' that names it. More 'dee' notes means more alarm.
How do you attract a black-capped chickadee?
Black oil sunflower, suet and peanuts. They will learn to take seed from a hand more readily than almost any other wild bird.