January is the time when the word Midwest becomes Latin for “find your mittens”. Lucky for us, some Mesopotamian genius in the 4th millennium solved this problem by strategically placing a sturdy stick between two cylindrical objects and soon after, “Snowbirds” was being etched on cave walls. Of course, now we have fancy glamping portable homes sitting on those rolling contraptions making this human migration far more pleasant. Pleasant being a relative word as our annual trek hasn’t exactly gone as planned. We go south to shed the layers of clothing, this year we are adding them thanks to a band of frigid air riding shotgun to Arizona – and now we might be greeted with the fluffy white crap looming near week’s end. Damn you Mr. Snow Miser (link here)! While we get this setback sorted out, Brad is going to jump in and bring us his first post of the new year. Let’s hope he found his mittens.
Welcome to 2024 Brad, take it away…
As birders all know, the little birds are the hardest to catch successfully. They blend into the trees. Little birds tend to be spastic. But they have some great calls and fantastic colors. Little birds are also very rewarding if you are able to capture photographs of them sitting still for a millisecond, or 1/1000th of a second for those thinking in photographic terms.
Todays’ three subjects have similar calls, but they are different enough to get your attention and all come from different parts of the country
Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) have a three- or four-toned call with different notes. The three-note call (Chick-a-dee) has the first note being the highest, the second a fifth lower and the third up a half-tone from the first (sounds like the last three notes from Close Encounters). Their four-note call (Chick-a-dee-dee) is a series of two notes repeated, but about a half octave apart. Most of the Black-caps near us use the three-note version, and this one from our back yard in central Illinois is no exception. This is the first bird call our daughter Allyson learned to recognize and tried to imitate when she was about four years old.
Hit the jump to learn more about the Black-capped’s kinfolk.
The Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) also uses a four-note call. The first note is faint, just below the second higher note, but the last two notes are the same, at least as far as my ears can tell. The Merlin app agrees with me on this one. We found this Mountain Chickadee while chasing a Townsend’s Solitaire in El Dorado State Park outside of Boulder Colorado (see here for that story). As their profile indicates, it was flitting form pinecone to pinecone looking for something to eat.
Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) also have a four-note call, but to my ear it seemed a repeat of the same two tones: high and a bit lower, then repeat. Again, Merlin agrees with me, at least as much as I can hear. We found this Carolina Chickadee in . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . South Carolina! Ta da!
It seems that all of the chickadees extend the call with more “dee’s” if there seems to be a threat in the area. Many of the birds that “hang out” with chickadees have learned to recognize the “threat” calls and respond accordingly. Sort of like how most birds recognize Bluejay warning calls and take action. Of course, there are many variations of each of their calls. I was able to tell the Mountain call from the Black-cap call pretty easily.
At least these three Chickadee species hang around all winter long, as long as there is food, water and shelter for them. Jan and I really enjoy seeing our Black-caps hitting the feeders and heated birdbaths all winter long. We live near the southern extent of their year-round range.
Ironically, we also live near the northern extent of the Carolina Chickadee year-round range, meaning we probably have overlap from time to time based on winds and storms. Though I have not heard the Carolina calls in our yard.
The Mountain Chickadees live nowhere near us so if I see one in our backyard in Illinois it must be REALLY lost. They instead live . . . are you ready for this . . . in the Rocky Mountains and points west!
The Mountain and Black-caps are very close in size. They differ by the white band above the eye on the Mountain Chickadee. The Black-caps and Carolinas are nearly identical, but the Carolina is a bit smaller than its Midwestern cousin. This one is tired of the discussion and wants a snack.
All three species have been known to live up to 10 years or beyond, but the average age of all three is about 2-3 years. Coincidentally, all three of chickadees hang around the Tufted Titmouse. Some ornithologist believe this mixed “flocking” behavior provides more eyes and ears to watch for danger, especially during winters with a lack of cover. Birders have also observed Downy Woodpeckers relying on Chickadee/Titmouse as sentinels. Many of their warning calls sound similar enough to signal danger to other birds in the immediate area.
Thank you for reading. If you want to see more chickadee photos, please visit here.
Credits:
Thanks again to Jan for proofreading and editing. Allyson is still on assignment. Thanks to Jan for some of the photos in this article.
Life Intrigued 