Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is in the Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice family (Paridae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 80,329 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in April.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: year-round resident. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Black-capped Chickadee: observations by month (U.S.)

About Black-capped Chickadee

The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, nonmigratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is the state bird of both Maine and Massachusetts in the United States, and the provincial bird of New Brunswick in Canada. It is well known for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights as well as its good spatial memory to...From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Black-capped Chickadee by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice)

Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor

Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis

Chestnut-backed ChickadeePoecile rufescens

Oak TitmouseBaeolophus inornatus

Mountain ChickadeePoecile gambeli

Black-crested TitmouseBaeolophus atricristatus

Bridled TitmouseBaeolophus wollweberi

Juniper TitmouseBaeolophus ridgwayi

Photography tips

• Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
• Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
• Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
• Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ