Carolina Chickadee
33.7748, -84.2963
Field Notes
Description:
"John James Audubon named this bird while he was in South Carolina. The curious, intelligent Carolina Chickadee looks very much like a Black-capped Chickadee, with a black cap, black bib, gray wings and back, and whitish underside. Carolina and Black-capped chickadees hybridize in the area where their ranges overlap, but the two species probably diverged more than 250,000 years ago.
Size & Shape
This tiny, approachable bird has a short neck and large head, giving it a distinctive spherical body shape. Its tail is fairly long and narrow. Its bill is a bit thicker than a warbler’s but thinner than a finch’s.
Color Pattern
Carolina Chickadees have a black cap and bib separated by stark white cheeks. The back, wings, and tail are soft gray.
Behavior
Inquisitive and acrobatic. Except in the breeding season, associates with other Carolina Chickadees and a variety of other small species in feeding flocks that roam within a fairly large area. Despite being a flocking species, they normally space themselves fairly widely while eating."-CornelLab Ornithology
Habitat:
Habitat
Forested areas or urban and suburban yards or parks with large trees."-CornelLab Ornithology
Notes:
For such a common visitor to my feeders...these little birds are hard to get a good shot of because they are constantly flitting about.
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