Description

Voice

A buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee or a clear, whistled fee-bee, the second note lower and often doubled.

Habitat

Deciduous and mixed forests, and open woodlands; suburban areas in winter.

Nesting

6-8 brown-speckled white eggs in a cup of grass, fur, plant down, feathers, and moss, placed in a hole in a rotten tree stub excavated by the birds or in a natural cavity or bird box.

Other

Flocks of this tame and inquisitive bird spend the winter making the rounds of feeders in a neighborhood, often appearing at each feeder with striking regularity. Chickadees form the nucleus of mixed flocks of woodpeckers, nuthatches, creepers, and kinglets that move through the winter woods. Occasionally they move south in very large numbers, many thousands passing through even our largest cities. In spring, chickadees disband and move into the woods to nest. They often feed upside down, clinging to the underside of twigs and branches in their search for insect eggs and larvae. Easily tamed, they soon learn to feed from the hand.