The black-capped chickadee is 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm) in length with a wingspan of 6.3-8.3 inches (16-21 cm).
It is gray on its uppersides and tail and has a black cap and throat bib, white cheeks, a white chest and belly, and light brown flanks right below its wings.
Males and females look alike.
The black-capped chickadee lives in mixed deciduous and coniferous forests. In winter, it is found in residential areas with trees.
The black-capped chickadee hops from branch to branch, eating the insects, larvae, caterpillars, and spiders it finds on trees. It also eats seeds and berries.
It sometimes stores food under bark or lichen.
Black-capped chickadees form mating pairs during the late fall. Pairs usually stay together for several years and establish and protect a territory while they are together. The male black-capped chickadee brings the female food during courtship.
Both males and females make a nesting spot in a rotting tree stump or abandoned woodpecker hole. The female lines the nest with grass, down, fur, and moss. She lays 5-9 eggs at a rate of one egg per day. The female incubates the eggs. While she is in the nest, the male feeds her. She may also leave the nest to feed herself.
The chicks hatch in 13 to 14 days. Both parents feed and care for the chicks. The chicks fledge in 14 to 18 days but continue to be fed by their parents for two to four weeks after fledging.
The black-capped chickadee has a lifespan of 2 to 3 years in the wild. The oldest chickadee on record was over 11.5 years old.
Black-capped chickadees are non-migratory. They live in pairs during the spring and summer. In the fall and winter, they live in small flocks of six to ten individuals. These flocks are very territorial and chase intruders away.
The chickadee is named for its “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call.
Slight changes in its call are used to claim territory, warn of predators, and greet other chickadees.
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The black-capped chickadee is a year-round resident of New Hampshire.
The black-capped chickadee is found from Alaska east through southern Canada and throughout the upper two-thirds of the United States, south to northern California, northern New Mexico, Missouri, and northern New Jersey.
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