Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadees are Common year round.

Habitat

Black-capped Chickadees are found in a variety of habitats, but compared to the other chickadees in Washington, Black-cappeds are most likely to be found in deciduous or mixed woodlands. They are common in forest edges, parks, yards, wetlands, willow thickets, cottonwood groves, and disturbed areas.

Behavior

During the breeding season, Black-capped Chickadees are territorial, but they form flocks in the winter. These winter flocks may include other species, but Black-cappeds are typically numerically dominant. Black-capped Chickadees often forage in birch or alders by hopping on twigs and branches and gleaning their surfaces for food. Often they hang upside-down to get at the undersides of branches and leaves, but they also hover, probe, and occasionally fly out to catch aerial prey. They readily come to seed and suet feeders. Black-capped chickadees cache food in Fall and retrieve it up to a month later.