Montshire Minute: Chickadees

Originally aired during the week of December 29, 2002

Monday

Throw a birdseed party, and the chickadees will never turn down the invite. The black-capped chickadee is almost a certain visitor to backyard birdfeeders any season of the year. When out of sight of our kitchen window, they are flitting about the woods, clinging to twigs and branches like little acrobats in search of insects and larvae. Chickadees never seem to slow down, and that's why they eat so darned much. The birds feed so regularly and in such large quantities that they qualify as very effective pest exterminators. When there's plenty of food to go around in the abundant seasons of summer and fall, the chickadee may hoard food for the cold months ahead, perhaps leaving a morsel under pieces of bark along customary feeding routes. Of course, they are always ready to supplement their pantry with a snack at your feeder!

Tuesday

"We should all wear a black cap, ignore weather reports, and make friends easily." That quote comes from the great man of letters E.B. White. He was suggesting that when the winter "blahs" get us down, we should take our cue from one of his favorite birds, the black-capped chickadee. It's easy to take comfort in the cheerful antics of the chickadee. The bird adapts itself well to many different climates, and is a year-round resident in Vermont and New Hampshire. The black-capped chickadee ranges from Alaska and Canada down to the midsection of the continental U.S. Their winter range can extend to the deep south. In White's words: "The black-capped Chickadee was put on earth to demonstrate the power of positive thinking. No day is dark, no night is cold, no hour is evil, no harm is in sight, no news is bad."

Wednesday

One way we can tell types of birds apart is by listening to their songs. But some species of birds know a lot of different tunes. You could say the chickadee has its own album of songs. If you can speak "chickadee" you'll understand just how much this bird has to say. The best known song is the "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" that gives the bird its name. When you hear this, the chickadee may be challenging an intruder, or expressing alarm. But researchers have interpreted other calls to mean: "Where is everybody? Let's get together!" Or "Hey, this is our flock's winter territory. Keep out!" Or "Hey, can't you see I'm nesting here?" OK, some of the calls are a little open to interpretation. But when you listen, you'll discover these birds have quite a diverse vocabulary. See if you can distinguish recorded chickadee calls at the Museum's bird song kiosk this winter.

Thursday

The black-capped chickadee is one of the most frequent visitors to our bird feeders in the winter. It also makes good conversation: if you can understand what it is saying. Depending on slight variations in phrasing, the bird may be giving an alarm that a predator is approaching or simply relaying information about its identity to another chickadee. Lots of birds use complex variations in their song to send messages. The basic message of a wood thrush might mean: "Hey Look at me! I'm a wood thrush!" Why does the bird want to proclaim itself so loudly? Well, one reason is to attract a mate. A cardinal wants to attract another cardinal, and not, say, a red-winged blackbird. Or, the bird may be establishing its territory. A bird is not born knowing its song perfectly. It must learn it partly from other birds of the same feather.

Friday

In winter, chickadees tend to hang out in loose flocks that may number between eight to twelve birds. Chickadees may roost in evergreen trees where they are less exposed to wind and snow. Or they may disappear into a tree hole to spend the night. The bird holds its fluffy, insulating feathers slightly erect to keep warm air close to its body. During the short winter day, the bird is always on the move, speeding up its food intake to meet the energy demands of cold weather. You can see how the seeds and suet we leave out in the winter give chickadees the extra edge they need to beat winter! February is courtship time for these birds. Though the female looks exactly like the male, her voice takes on a raspy tone in late winter, when the breeding season begins.