A small chickadee very similar to black-capped chickadee but slightly smaller. Hybridizes with black-capped where ranges overlap.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The Carolina chickadee is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is largely found in the Southern United States.
Source: Wikipedia — Carolina chickadee Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Small chickadee with a black cap and bib, white cheeks, gray back, and pale grayish flanks; very similar to Black-capped but slightly smaller and cleaner-winged.
Similar species. Black-capped Chickadee shows more white edging in the wing and a broader white cheek; the two are best separated by range and song (they hybridize in a narrow zone).
Voice. A faster, higher four-note whistle 'fee-bee-fee-bay' and a quick 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee'.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects, seeds, occasional fruits; caches food in fall.
Behavior. The common chickadee of the southeastern U.S.; a tame feeder bird that caches seeds and forms winter foraging flocks with other small songbirds.
§ Range
Southeastern US
§ Habitat
Forests, suburban yards
§ Threats
Forest fragmentation, climate change.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the carolina chickadee is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support eastern forest conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Carolina chickadee
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Poecile carolinensis
- IUCN Red List — search for Poecile carolinensis
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Poecile carolinensis
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
