5.25 inches long. The Black-capped Chickadee is a small bird with a short bill and a long tail. The upperparts are gray and the underparts are white. The white face is surrounded by a black throat and black crown. The wing feathers have white edging. The flanks are rusty.
The Black-capped Chickadee is a common year round breeding resident of the Forest.
The Black-capped Chickadee is a familiar bird often found in small mixed flocks. Since they are resident and do not move south in the winter, they need to endure the cold. They do this by lowering their body temperature at night and enter regulated hypothermia, saving energy. Chickadees forage for insects and eggs by flitting amid twigs and branches and even hanging upside down. They also eat seeds and fruit. They stash their food and have very good memory on where to relocate it. Chickadees regularly visit feeders especially in the winter. The Chickadee has many calls but one of its most common songs is the drawn out “chick-a-dee-dee-dee”.
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