Little Bird that Could

Another small bird that I see very often in my backyard is the Carolina Chickadee. Small in size but a giant in courage when defending its family or home. These are very popular and well known birds that most people recognize immediately when seen. It is a small passerine bird. Adults 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 grey. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a moderately long tail. Very similar to the black-capped chickadee,

Insects form a large part of their diet, especially in summer; seeds and berries become important in winter. They sometimes hammer seeds on a tree or shrub to open them; they also will store seeds for later use.

I am very fond of this species, they are very organized and full of energy usually stay through the winter and can be seen flying back and forth to the feeders, they fly fast and in a peculiar way, undulated, up and down pattern.

10 thoughts on “Little Bird that Could”

Jet Eliot on March 31, 2015 at 2:28 pm said:

Although we don’t have the Carolina Chickadee in northern Calif., we do have the chestnut-backed; and I, too, love these little guys. Energetic as you say; I love watching them pop around. Great photos HJ. 😀

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- avian101 on March 31, 2015 at 3:14 pm said:
  
  Thank you Jet! Great little birds! 🙂
  
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susanpoozan on March 31, 2015 at 2:38 pm said:

I like the third view best though they are all good.

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- avian101 on March 31, 2015 at 3:15 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much Susan! 🙂
  
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tootlepedal on March 31, 2015 at 6:45 pm said:

Our coal tits are very similar. We used to get quite a few in our garden but they don’t visit now.

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- avian101 on March 31, 2015 at 10:00 pm said:
  
  Thank you for sharing Tom! 🙂
  
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aussiebirder on April 1, 2015 at 2:32 am said:

Lovely blog, thanks for info and great pics, much appreciated, I always love learning about your birds.

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- avian101 on April 1, 2015 at 10:18 am said:
  
  Thank you very much Ashley! 🙂
  
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45DegreesNorth on April 6, 2015 at 8:19 am said:

So sweet! The chickadee will always be one of my favorites. Have you ever gotten them to eat out of your hand, H.J.?? We have a couple of times. They are so friendly and will sit just a tiny bit away when I put out more food. I would love to see a Carolina and a black-capped side-by-side to really compare the differences. 🙂

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- avian101 on April 6, 2015 at 10:13 am said:
  
  No I haven’t had that experience Amy. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
  
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