Mountain Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) is in the Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice family (Paridae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 16,351 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in August.

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 Mountain Chickadee: observations by month (U.S.)

About Mountain Chickadee

The mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli) is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still 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. The American Ornithologists' Union has been treating Poecile as a distinct genus for some time.From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Mountain 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

Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis

Chestnut-backed ChickadeePoecile rufescens

Oak TitmouseBaeolophus inornatus

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