Hear a story about the Carolina chickadee.
Hear a Carolina chickadee.

adapted from The Birds of Texas
by John L. Tveten

The plump little chickadee and its cousin -- the titmouse -- are among the friendliest of birds, chattering cheerfully throughout the year and visiting backyard feeders for seeds, suet and other fare. They are members of the Paridae Family and are essentially non-migratory. Paridae have short little beaks, short wings, and generally drab plumage. During the winter they roam the woodlands in search of food in small flocks of mixed species. When insects are not available, they feed on seeds and berries.

Although the black-capped chickadee is perhaps best known throughout the nation, Texas' common resident is the Carolina chickadee. Its range extends from Kansas to New Jersey and south to Texas and Florida. It is confined primarily to the eastern, northern and central portions of our state, west to the edge of the Panhandle and the central Edwards Plateau and southward to the central coast. Because chickadees make their nests in the cavities of trees, they inhabit the state's woodland areas.

At about four and one-half inches in length, the Carolina chickadee is a small gray bird with a black cap, black bib and white cheeks. It is slightly smaller and similar in appearance to the black-capped chickadee and is frequently misidentified as its northern counterpart. However, the black-capped chickadee does not range in Texas -- the last documented siting being in the late 1800's. In areas where the two species' ranges overlap, their calls can help distinguish them. The Carolina chickadee's chick-a-dee-dee-dee call is faster and higher in pitch, and its song -- a whistled fee-bee fee-bay -- has four notes rather than the black-capped's two-note song.

Five other chickadee species can be found in North America, but only one -- the mountain chickadee -- occurs in Texas. It has a distinctive white eyebrow stripe through the black cap about each eye and its call is huskier and hoarser than that of the Carolina chickadee. A resident of western Canada and the U.S., it inhabits the Guadalupe and Davis mountains.

Special thanks to Dr. Daniel Sudia for permission to use his photograph of the Carolina Chickadee. This photo can be used for personal or educational use only. For any other purpose, please contact Dr. Sudia.

More Bird Facts The chickadee is a bird whose call sounds like its name -- chick-a-dee-dee-dee. Chickadees are quick and agile, and will hang upside-down to feed. Unlike finches, chickadees do not linger at feeders, choosing instead to eat their seed from a high branch. Carolina chickadees make their nests in the cavities of trees and in artificial nest boxes, which they line with grasses, feathers, fur and thistledown. The female lays 6 to 8 speckled, reddish brown eggs that will hatch in 11 to 12 days. The young are ready to leave the nest within two weeks. Pairs remain together throughout the year.

More Interviews with Experts Visit these websites for more information USGS website with photos and scientific data on the Carolina Chickadee. Checklist of scientific names of chickadees and titmice. Site with lots of links to webpages featuring chickadee-related items and information.