Black-capped chickadees are found in deciduous and mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, especially near forest edges. They are commonly found near willows and cottonwoods, and like to make their nests in the snags of alder and birch trees. Feeders and nest boxes can be used to attract chickadees to suburban backyards. Hawks, owls, and shrikes capture adult chickadees, but nestlings and eggs are in more danger of being consumed by tree-climbing mammals. Like many birds, black-capped chickadees are omnivorous.
They eat a diet of seeds, berries, insects, invertebrates , and occasionally small portions of carrion. Chickadees also love to eat suet and peanut butter offered at bird feeders. They place food items in a number of different hidden locations, so chickadees must have excellent memories to keep track of their food.
Male and female chickadees excavate nest cavities in the soft, rotting wood of snags or build nests in abandoned woodpecker cavities. They also take readily to nest boxes filled with wood shavings. Females build the nest and fill it with up to 13 eggs.
The male brings her food while she warms the eggs, and both parents take part in raising the young. The average lifespan for black-capped chickadees is less than two to three years. The oldest chickadee on record was a male that lived for over Black-capped chickadee numbers are increasing due to large amounts of forest edge habitat, as well as nesting and feeding opportunities in backyards. Chickadees are social birds that live in flocks.
To keep up with changes within the flock—and to remember food cache locations—chickadees are able to replace old neurons with new ones. The primary food source available to birds in the winter especially on the frigid Prairies are seeds and other plant matter, as temperatures are much too cold for insects to survive. Therefore, songbirds that rely on seeds are able survive the winter, while those feeding on a diet of insects migrate to warmer climates. Chickadees are opportunistic and readily eat seeds and suet.
Chickadees are enterprising birds — not only do they eat seeds when they find them, but they also store them to eat later. This is called caching, and chickadees can remember thousands of different hiding places. A third factor impacting winter survival is predation.
Being together in a flock means that there are more eyes on alert for danger. Also, the larger the group, the lower the odds that any one individual will become victim to predators. It would be reasonable to think that being in a group would allow members to cluster together for warmth known as social thermoregulation to scientists. On some cold days, chickadees can be observed sitting close together, presumably for this purpose.
However, even when temperatures are well below freezing, chickadees usually sleep in their own individual cavities. Chickadees are amazing little birds with feisty attitudes, and I enjoy watching them at my feeders over the winter. This winter will mark my 11 th year participating in the Project Feederwatch program, a citizen science project that includes documenting and reporting the different species and number of individuals visiting your feeder.
Here is a quick look at some of the top foods that these tiny birds love to eat. Chickadees are quite fond of seeds. They are particularly fond of black oil sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, or hulled sunflower seeds.
They will also eat shelled and chopped peanuts or peanut butter. Safflower seeds, nyjer, millet, and cracked corn are also good foods to offer the chickadees in your garden. Chickadees have quite a sweet tooth. They love to visit gardens with lots of berry bushes.
Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bilberries, cranberries, cut grapes, and bilberries are all welcome foods. These birds might also eat other fruits such as cut pawpaw, apple, pear, or even orange if you cut these fruits up for easy consumption.
Chickadees also catch and eat a huge variety of insect types. They are swift flyers and can easily catch all sorts of flying insects such as flies, caterpillars, moths, snails, spiders, and other invertebrates. If you are feeding chickadees in your back yard then you can also offer pet store-bought insects such as crickets , grasshoppers, mealworms or earthworms.
Chickadees are omnivores and as such will eat both plant and animal matter. They do not consume quite as much meat as other foods but they will visit carcasses to consume small amounts of dead animal flesh.
These tiny birds are quite fond of suet. Suet offers lots of nutrients and oils that they need to stay healthy and full of energy.
To keep the chickadees in your garden nourished, you can offer them cut up suet pieces. Chickadees also need to drink a lot of water to help them stay hydrated. They also enjoy taking bird baths in shallow waters. These birdbaths help them remove excess oil from their feathers and keep them healthy.
The best birdbath to attract chickadees is a shallow bath with scattered river rocks inside it so these birds can easily move in and out of the water without the risk of drowning.
Chickadees are omnivores and may eat all sorts of foods that are not part of their natural diet. They may also eat human foods such as bread, cookie crumbs, rusk crumbs, and other types of human foods.
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