Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
The Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) is a common tits, chickadees, and titmice found in 2 countries, weighing about 10 g. The Carolina chickadee is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.
About the Carolina Chickadee
The Carolina chickadee is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is largely found in the Southern United States.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Adults are 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in) long with a weight of 9–12 g (0.32–0.42 oz), and have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their underparts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is gray. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a moderately long tail. Very similar to the black-capped chickadee, the Carolina chickadee is distinguished by the slightly browner wing with the greater coverts brown (not whitish fringed) and the white fringing on the secondary feathers slightly less conspicuous; the tail is also slightly shorter and more square-ended. Voice: The calls and song between the Carolina chickadee and the black-capped chickadee differ subtly to an experienced ear: the Carolina chickadee's chick-a-dee call is faster and higher pitched than that of the black-capped chickadee, and the Carolina chickadee has a four note fee-bee-fee-bay song, whereas the black-capped omits the high notes.
What the Carolina Chickadee sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada.
When to see it
The Carolina Chickadee can be seen all year round, with peak activity in April. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Carolina Chickadee?
- Adults are 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in) long with a weight of 9–12 g (0.32–0.42 oz), and have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Carolina Chickadee?
- The Carolina Chickadee is a tiny sized bird weighing about 10 g.
- Where can you see a Carolina Chickadee?
- The Carolina Chickadee occurs in 2 countries, including the United States.
- What does a Carolina Chickadee sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Carolina Chickadee on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Carolina Chickadee?
- The Carolina Chickadee is most easily confused with the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, the Mountain Chickadee and the Marsh Tit.
- Is the Carolina Chickadee endangered?
- The Carolina Chickadee is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Carolina Chickadee for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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