BirdNote; Comparing Chickadee Calls

BirdNote®

Comparing Chickadee Calls

Written by Frances Wood

This is BirdNote!

[Call of Black-capped Chickadee]

You can see lots of dapper black-and-white chickadees this time of year. And knowing their calls will help you identify the different species. For example, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, when a Black-capped Chickadee visits your feeder, you may find its cousin, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, tagging along.

[Chestnut-backed Chickadee - zitta-zitta-zee call]

This bird has a similar black head with a large white cheek-patch, but its back and sides are a rich chestnut brown. Its call is slightly different as well.

See if you can tell the calls apart. I’ll give you a hint. The call of the Black-capped Chickadee follows the familiar “Chick-a-dee, dee, dee” pattern.

[Call of Black-capped Chickadee]

Now listen to the Chestnut-backed call. It’s higher pitched, faster, and has a buzzy quality.

[Call of Chestnut-backed Chickadee]

Once again, the Black-capped Chickadee. [Black-capped] Now the Chestnut-backed chickadee.

[Chestnut-backed]

A good birdwatcher can identify a bird by its call alone. This skill is handy when you see these little birds high in the trees, dangling off branches. But while we delight in their musical talents, the birds are engaged in more serious business — they’re keeping their flock together.

[Repeat Call of Chestnut-backed Chickadee]

Hear the calls of all seven species of chickadees, at our website, BirdNote.org. I’m Mary McCann.

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Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Ambient track of Black-capped Chickadee recorded by R.S. Little.

Sounds of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee provided by: Martyn Stewart at Naturesound.org

BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

© 2016 Tune In to Nature.org January 2014/2018/2019 Narrator: Mary McCann

ID # 010406CBCHKPLU BCCHCBCH-01b-2010-01-30 BCCH-CBCH-01c