The Chickadee: Nature’s Backyard Charmer

Chickadees may be the most beloved birds that visit our backyards, but their seemlessly neverending energy and inquisitive nature are only part of what makes these birds fun to watch.

Chickadees:
• are easily identified by their namesake call “chick-a-dee.”
• weigh less than half an ounce.
• are generally monogamous and stay with the same mate for life.
• are cavity nesters and will excavate their own nest site in a rotten tree or use an old woodpecker hole or birdhouse.
• are regular visitors to feeders, but over 75% of their winter food supply still comes from natural sources.
• cache foods and remember where its hidden.
• increase their survival rate almost twice as much when the temperature falls below 10º F if they have access to feeders.
• can gain as much as 10% of their body weight each day and lose it all again during a cold winter night.

For more information about chickadees, visit allaboutbird.com - our online bird guide.