Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) is in the Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice family (Paridae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 64,970 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 Carolina Chickadee: observations by month (U.S.)

About Carolina Chickadee

The Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is often placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union has been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already.From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Carolina 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

Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus

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