This week I’ve got some images of everyone’s favourite, the Black-Capped Chickadee.
For many of us, the Black-Capped Chickadee is one of the first birds we ever learn to ID. The chickadee is a curious bird that is often found at bird feeders. It has a distinctive warning call that sounds just like its name: chick-a-dee.
Interestingly, the more dee notes in a chickadee-dee-dee call, the higher the threat level. Chickadee calls are very complex and can range from individual identification to predator alarms. Common predators of the chickadee include ravens, owls, and squirrels, and mice will often prey on eggs and nestlings.
The Black-Capped Chickadee is one of two species that are common around Yellowknife, the other is the Boreal Chickadee who has a brown cap, a smaller head, and has brownish sides rather than the buff sides of the Black-Capped Chickadee.
Chickadees cache food in much the same way as ravens and Canada Jays by hiding seeds and other food items to eat later. Chickadees hide items all over and can have thousands of different spots where they’ve stashed items. And they can remember almost all of their hiding places. Chickadees are pretty smart and the reason for that is all in their brain.
One thing that really got me into birding was learning that birds have the ability to grow new neurons, something that science has yet to prove humans can do (debate about human neurogenesis is raging at the moment). Every autumn, a Black-capped Chickadee’s brain neurons containing old information die and are replaced with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their social flocks and environment. (Another post on bird brains later!)
And finally my favourite kind of bird trivia! How old is the oldest Black-Capped Chickadee? The oldest known wild Black-capped Chickadee was a male who was at least 11 years, 6 months old when he was re-captured and re-released during banding operations in Minnesota in 2011. He had been banded in the same state in 2002.
That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoy the photos and learning more about this familiar feathered friend.