Parus carolinensis
Bill Horn, www.birdsofoklahoma.net
The Carolina Chickadee is
a very familiar bird, although it is often confused with its
cousin, the Black-capped Chickadee. Black-capped Chickadees
live farther North. The two birds look almost
identical. Carolina Chickadees grow
up to five inches long, with a black cap and throat, white
cheeks and belly, and a gray back. These birds live in
forests,
fields, and marshes. They often visit gardens and
birdfeeders. Copyright, Ohio
Deptartment of Natural Resources Erik Breden, The Otter
Side After mating, these birds
build a nest in a natural cavity,
old woodpecker hole, or rotten stub (top hollow part of an
old dead tree). They can also dig out their own hole in a
tree whose wood has been weakened by fungus, ants, or
termites. Some of the trees they are most likely to dig into
include American Beech, Black Willow, birches, and Sugar
Maple. The nest is a cup of
grass, plant down (fluffy stuff from milkweed, cattails and
other plants), feathers, fur (especially rabbit), moss, and
insect cocoons. The female chickadee sits
on the eggs for almost two weeks. Another two weeks after
they hatch, the young chickadees are ready to leave the
nest. Sometimes Carolina
Chickadees will be parasitized
by Brown-headed Cowbirds, but not very often.
