A hardy northern passerine, the boreal chickadee is one of the largest chickadees – size that helps it conserve body heat during extreme northern winters. This is a target bird for many visitors to the boreal forests, but a difficult one to see because of the bird's elusive nature in dense forests.

Common Name: Boreal Chickadee, Tom-Tit, Hudsonian Chickadee, Acadian Chickadee, Brown-Capped Chickadee


Scientific Name: Poecile husonicus (formerly Parus hudsonicus; occasionally listed as Poecile hudsonica)

Scientific Family: Paridae

Appearance:

• Bill: Black, small or stubby
• Size: 5-5.5 inches long with 8-inch wingspan, long tail, thick neck
• Colors: White, black, gray, brown, buff, rufous, olive-gray, pink-buff
• Markings: Genders are similar with a brown cap, white auriculars that are washed with gray toward the nape and a wide black bib on the chin and throat. The back is gray-brown or olive-gray but does not contrast strongly with the head and nape, and the wings and tail are gray with pale edging that will wear off in time; worn plumage is more uniformly gray. The flanks have a strong buff, pink-buff or rufous wash, and the underparts are white or grayish white. The eyes are black, and the legs and feet are gray-black.
  
  Juveniles are similar to adults but may be duller or paler overall, with grayer plumage.

Foods: Insects, seeds, larvae, spiders, fruit (See: Omnivorous)

Habitat and Migration:

These chickadees prefer dense boreal forests of primarily coniferous trees, though they can be found in mixed coniferous and deciduous forests within their range.

Favored trees include spruces, firs and birches, and they are more common in wetter areas of the forest. These birds do not typically migrate and are found year-round from Alaska to Newfoundland and Labrador, with their range extending as far south as the northern tip of Idaho, northern Minnesota, the upper peninsula of Michigan, Maine and into the northern halves of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Occasionally boreal chickadees will have mild winter irruptions that can take them much further south than expected, extending into the Ohio River Valley and similar latitudes.

Vocalizations:

These birds have a nasal, raspy voice that may have a wheezy quality. The typical call is a "chik-a-dee" or "chik-a-dee-dee" sequence, with some shorter "chik-dee" songs also regularly used. Common calls are a single sharp, high-pitched "tsip" note that may be repeated at regular intervals.

Behavior:

These are gregarious birds that may be solitary but are more often found in small to medium-sized flocks, particularly in winter when they mix with red-breasted nuthatches and golden-crowned kinglets, though rarely are they found with other chickadees. They can be relatively calm and tame, but are secretive during the breeding season. While foraging, they cling acrobatically to branches and cones, even dangling upside down while they glean food from bark, branches or cones. They frequently cache food, especially larvae, by squeezing tidbits beneath bits of bark where it can be accessed later. In flight, they have rapid, fluttering wing beats that may lead to a somewhat undulating flight.

Reproduction:

These are monogamous birds that may mate for life. As cavity nesters, both males and females work together to excavate a cavity from 1-10 feet above the ground, or they usurp an old woodpecker cavity that suits their needs. The female lines the nest cavity with bark strips, lichen, moss, fur and similar nesting materials.

The oval-shaped eggs are pointed on the smaller end, and are generally white with red-brown specks on the broad end. There are 4-9 eggs in each brood, and the female incubates the eggs for 11-16 days while the male brings her food. Both parents feed the altricial hatchlings, and the young birds are ready to leave the nest 18 days after hatching. Because of the short breeding season in northern habitats, only one brood is raised each year.

Boreal chickadees occasionally hybridize with mountain chickadees.

Attracting Boreal Chickadees:

These energetic birds will visit backyards where suet, peanut butter and sunflower seeds are available at feeders, particularly if black spruce or balsam fir trees are part of the bird-friendly landscaping. While they may visit feeders year-round, they are more commonly seen as backyard guests in winter when other food sources are scarce.

Conservation:

While these chickadees are not considered threatened or endangered, it can be difficult to monitor their populations because of their extreme northern range and their shy nesting behavior. Logging operations can dramatically impact suitable habitat and may be a distinct threat to boreal chickadees and other northern species.

Similar Birds:

• Gray-Headed Chickadee (Poecile cinctus)
• Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla)
• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
• Sombre Tit (Poecile lugubris)
• Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)

Photo – Boreal Chickadee © Nick Saunders