Curious and brave, chickadees are among the easiest birds to spot on a hike and among the first to visit a backyard feeder. No matter how many times you cross paths with a chickadee species, they are always a delight to see.
There are seven chickadee species across North America. All of these species share similar traits as well as distinct differences. Some of those differences are range and habitat or outward appearance.
In this blog, you’ll meet the seven North American chickadee species. You’ll learn how to identify each one, where their range is, and how they are different from the others. But first, let’s explore what unites these chickadee species together.
Chickadee Species Overview
All seven chickadee species in North America are in the Poecile genus. They belong to the Paridae family, which also includes titmice and tits. Because these chickadees belong to the same genus, they are closely related and share similar traits.
For instance, they all share a black or brown cap, black bib, and white cheek streak. They have small round heads and bodies and little black bills. Their wings are grey and their back is either grey, brown, or russet colored.
Furthermore, their common name alludes to the similar alarm call they all emit when a threat is near. Although the call varies in pitch and pace for each species, they all let out a chick-a-dee-dee call when alarmed.
Chickadees are year-round residents of their native range. While they may fly short distances in winter when food supplies dwindle, they mostly stay in the same area. They survive the winter by caching seeds in tree bark and roosting together in woodpecker cavities for warmth.
Later in the year, chickadees build their nest in tree cavities, with some excavating their own in decaying trees or adding the final touches to existing cavities. Most chickadees prefer woodland habitats with mixed deciduous or coniferous stands. You can find them flitting through the understory, hanging upside down on the ends of shrub twigs. Or you’ll see them as a distant flurry of movement as they flutter through the tops of evergreens.
While chickadees share several common traits, each species is different, whether in obvious or more subtle ways. As such, let’s meet each of the joyous and delightful chickadee species in North America.
The 7 Chickadee Species of North America
1. Black-Capped Chickadee
The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is the most common and widespread North American species. Its year-round range extends across most of Canada and into Alaska. It is also found throughout the northern United States, from Oregon to New York.
The furthest south their range extends is Colorado and northern New Mexico. Black-capped chickadees avoid desert areas as they depend on shrubs and trees for food and shelter.
As their common name suggests, black-capped chickadees have a black cap, black bib, and white cheek streaks. They have a tan blush on their sides, a white belly, a grey back, and black wings.
Black-capped chickadees prefer open and mixed deciduous woods and forest edges. Unlike some other chickadee species, the black-capped avoids continuous coniferous forests. They also don’t mind people and will nest in suburban areas if nest sites are available.
This brave chickadee species thoroughly investigates its surroundings, making them easy to attract to a bird feeder. They aren’t picky about their food and will enjoy backyard songbird feed, sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts.
2. Carolina Chickadee
The Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) closely resembles the black-capped chickadee. Where these two chickadee species’ ranges overlap, it can be nearly impossible to identify who’s who.
The Carolina chickadee is a permanent resident throughout the Southeast, from Oklahoma over to Virginia. Interestingly, where the black-capped chickadee’s range ends is where this chickadee species range begins. They’ve been known to interbreed and mimic the other species’ calls, making it hard to differentiate the two.
The best way to know the difference is range (when you’re not in the overlapping area of course). Carolina chickadees are also more reserved and are less likely to visit a backyard feeder. They are slightly smaller and have subtle differences, such as higher-pitched and faster calls.
This southern chickadee prefers deciduous woods and river groves. They prefer warmer climates and will stick to lower elevations in the Appalachian mountain range. This is an area where they can overlap with black-capped chickadees, which prefer higher elevations.
3. Mountain Chickadee
Mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) are found throughout the Rocky, Cascade, and Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges of western North America. They’re also found in the southwestern mountain ranges of Arizona and New Mexico. They prefer high altitudes and conifer forests of pine, fir, Douglas-fir, and spruce. In the winter, they can move into lower elevations in search of food.
This little chickadee species can be hard to spot; they spend most of their time in the high canopy of mountain forests. While they can be difficult to find on the trail, they’ll visit backyard feeders in their mountainous range.
If you do spot one or have them visit your feeder, they are easy to differentiate from other chickadee species. The mountain chickadee has a distinct white eyebrow stripe. These stripes form a ‘v’ where they meet at the base of the beak. This species has the typical black bib, white cheeks, grey back, and black cap.
4. Chestnut-backed Chickadee
The beautiful chestnut-backed chickadee (Poecile rufescens) has a richly russet-colored back, hence its common name. The brown-russet hue extends to the sides, contrasting with its white belly and grey wings. Along with the unique earth tones, this chickadee species has a dark brown cap, black bib, and white cheeks.
The chestnut-backed chickadee is found along the Pacific coast from central California up to Alaska. They prefer dense and wet conifer and oak forests. In their northern range, they’re often in forests of hemlock, spruce, fir, tamarack, and cedar. In their southern range in California, they’re mostly in the redwoods and pine-oak stands.
These chatty and sociable chickadees readily visit backyard feeders and nest boxes. Keep a stocked feeder and set out a nestbox in late winter—you’ll soon attract lively chestnut-backed chickadees to your yard.
5. Boreal Chickadee
In the far north, throughout Canada and up into the Arctic Circle, is the Boreal Chickadee’s (Poecile hudsonicus) year-long range. This species lives farther north than any other North American chickadee species. Their range extends into the Northeastern United States, and they’ll sometimes stage small invasions into the Great Lake states during winter.
Like most other chickadee species, the Boreal Chickadee prefers mixed conifer woods, especially spruce forests. In the west, they prefer high mountain forests. In the east, spruce bogs.
The Boreal Chickadee is easy to differentiate from the other chickadee species it overlaps with (mostly black-capped, as well as mountain and chestnut-backed in the west). It has a light brown to dusty brown cap, a black bib, and white cheek streaks. The white cheek streak fades into a light grey, and its back feathers are a mix of light grey and light brown. It has tan-peach blush on its sides beneath its wings.
The Boreal chickadee is much more elusive than the other North American chickadee species. It can be difficult to spot out on the trail, particularly during nesting season. However, it may visit backyard feeders in its Canadian range, especially during the winter.
6. Gray-headed Chickadee
Out of all the North American chickadee species, the gray-headed chickadee (Poecile cinctus) is the most unknown. It is a rare species with a small, year-long range in northern Alaska and northwestern Canada. However, it is more common and well-known in Northern Europe, where it is known as the ‘Siberian Tit.’
The gray-headed chickadee is similar in appearance to the Boreal chickadee. The main difference is the gray-headed has a longer and clearer white cheek stripe. In contrast, the Boreal’s white cheek stripe is much shorter and turns to grey past its eye. Plus, the gray-headed has a much smaller range than the Boreal.
This rare North American chickadee species prefers stunted spruce forests and streamside thickets. Because of its limited range, far northern territory, and uncommonness, this species is extremely hard to spot in North America.
7. Mexican Chickadee
The Mexican Chickadee (Poecile sclateri) is another rare chickadee species in the United States. It is mostly found in conifer forests throughout Mexico. This is the southernmost chickadee species in the world and the only one in Mexico.
There are only two places in the United States to spot Mexican chickadees: the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona and the Animas Mountains of southwestern New Mexico. They are more common in the higher elevations of the Chiricahua Mountains.
No other chickadee species overlap with the Mexican chickadee, making it easy to identify in its year-long range (if you can find it). It resembles the black-capped chickadee, with a crisp black cap, bib, and white cheek streaks. The back and wings are light grey with a dark grey flank fading to a grey-white belly.
The 7 Delightful Chickadee Species of North America
Nearly every place you visit in North America has a local chickadee species you can find. Whether it’s the friendly and widespread black-capped chickadee, the high-elevation-loving mountain chickadee, or the elusive Boreal chickadee, these little birds will delight you with their lively character.
What chickadee species do you have in your area? What’s your favorite thing about chickadees? We would love to hear your stories and unique birding experiences in the comments below!
