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This photo was taken in Congressional
Cemetery. Photo: Peter Vankevich
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A popular bird in our region that enjoys quick visits to birdfeeders this time of the year is the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis). It has distinctive good looks consisting of a black cap and bib, white cheeks and a light gray back and wings and whitish underside. Both sexes look alike. Highly vocal, they have a repertory of chatter notes. Its onomatopoeic name derives from its familiar call of chick-a-dee-dee-dee. In late winter/early spring you can hear its song which usually consists of a four-note whistle with the first and third notes higher and has been described as se-fee-se-fu.
Highly acrobatic when feeding and curious by nature, Carolina Chickadees are often readily drawn in when making a pishing sound. Most of the year they feed primarily on insects and spiders. During winter seeds and fruits will make up a sizable part of their diet so that is when they are most likely to be seen at birdfeeders. They will nest in tree cavities, natural snags, and man-made structures, including nest boxes and fence posts.
Highly sociable, except for mating season, they may be seen in woods and parks with large trees with other chickadees and during the winter they become prominent members of the roaming winter flock which in the DC region consists primarily of Tufted Titmice, Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Dark-eyed Juncos and occasionally Yellow-rumped Warblers. A hike on the C&O Canal is a good place to encounter these diverse flocks.
Carolina Chickadees are considered to be one of the four species discovered by John James Audubon and who provided its name which back then was called the Carolina Titmouse (titmouse is another name for birds in the family Paridae). Audubon graciously noted southern charm in his masterpiece The Birds of North America, “I have named it so, partly because it occurs in Carolina, and partly because I was desirous of manifesting my gratitude towards the citizens of that state, who by their hospitality and polite attention have so much contributed to my comfort and happiness, whenever it has been my good fortune to be among them.”
The distribution range for this species extends from Kansas to New Jersey and south to Texas and Florida (except for the southern part of the state). Since these birds are so readily seen and heard, you may be thinking “Hey, if they only go as far north as New Jersey, how come I have seen and heard them in areas like New York, Vermont or Maine?” The reason is in the north these birds are replaced by a remarkably similar species known as the Black-capped Chickadee which is, by the way, the state bird of Maine and Massachusetts. Black-capped Chickadees look almost identical to Carolina Chickadees and sound very similar as well.
Subtle differences such as a little more white in the covert wings and more buffiness in the flanks of the Black-capped, may help tell the difference between the two species. So if you like both audio and visual bird identification challenges, carefully observe the chickadees here and when you head north for summer vacation and see if you can tell the difference. Once you spend time watching them you may conclude that these are indeed birds of endearment that even an old curmudgeon like W.C. Fields has fondly noted. |
