H.J. Ruiz – Avian101

These little birds are always welcomed in my backyard, they have a terrific sense of survival and are super active around the area, whether getting food for their chicks or furnishing materials for their nests and when it comes to security for their nests, they could fight a giant eagle without showing any fear! For the people that aren’t familiar with this in mention, read more about them:

The Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is often placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds’ relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists’ Union has been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already.

Adults are 4.5–5.1 in long with a weight of 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 grey. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a moderately long tail. Very similar to the black-capped chickadee.

They nest in my backyard where they usually stay through the Winter as it happened for several years and delight me throughout every season. Nice little birds!

Text and photographs © HJ Ruiz – Avian101