The chick-a-dee-dee-dee call is the first sign you are not alone when outside shovelling. Looking around you see a little bird darting between the branches of a nearby evergreen. While hanging upside down, the bird removes seeds from a cone. This quick-winged gymnast seems unbothered by gravity as it lands sideways and peers at you.
The little black-cap and white cheeks identifies this bird as the black-capped chickadee. It is a tiny bird, with a rather large head, who appears to happily pose in precarious positions. The chickadee demonstrates high intelligence, especially in relation to its ability to store its food. In the fall, a chickadee may store thousands of seeds and insects in hiding spots like tree crevices. Researchers have found that the part of the chickadee’s brain devoted to spatial-memory expands 30% in the fall, allowing them to remember their many food storage locations throughout the winter!
If you have a bird feeder, the black-capped chickadee is a likely visitor, along with other birds like the Northern flicker or red-breasted nuthatch, who often flock together in the winter for protection from predators and to enhance the chances of finding food. You may see the chickadee come to the feeder and take a single seed, and disappear before returning a few minutes later. It is likely the chickadee is off storing this food somewhere, one seed at a time!
Chickadees are generally monogamous, often having the same partner for multiple mating seasons. On average chickadees live to be two to three years old, but have been found to live as long as twelve years! The male chickadee will court the female chickadee by bringing her offerings of food. Later they will build a nest in a tree cavity and the female will lay around six eggs.
When chickadees see a predator in the area like a cat or owl, they will add more dee’s to the end of their chick-a-dee-dee-dee song. A chickadee song with less dee’s is generally not an alarm call and used for coordinating the flock or announcing food has been found! How many dee’s are the chickadees around you using in their song?
Chickadees fly into windows, as windows can reflect trees or open sky, and give the appearance of a flyway. Using decals on the outside of your window can help deter bird strikes. Feather Friendly and the Calgary Urban Species Response Team have further resources and information on how to help deter bird strikes.
The black-capped chickadee is a resilient resident of Calgary and is present all year round. It has remarkable intelligence, and doesn’t shy away from having it’s meal upside down! Since May 2022, the black-capped chickadee has been the City of Calgary’s official bird.
Have you found injured or orphaned wildlife, or not sure if wildlife needs help? Please call Calgary Wildlife at 403-214-1312.
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