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BirdNote®
Voices and Vocabularies
Clever Chickadees
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
[Black-capped Chickadee call “chick-a-dee,” repeated]
Few backyard birds are as beloved as the Black-capped Chickadee. The boldly patterned chickadee is perky, trusting – and it even seems to introduce itself to us by calling out its name.
[Black-capped Chickadee call “chick-a-dee”, repeated]
In spring, Black-capped Chickadees also voice a sweet series of notes that sounds like “hey, sweetie” [Black-capped Chickadee “hey, sweetie” song]. And from a chickadee’s point of view, there’s a huge difference between [chick-a-dee] and [hey, sweetie].
The springtime [hey, sweetie] means something like, “Ladies, I’m a male chickadee looking for a mate. You other guys – get lost!" Technically speaking, [hey, sweetie] is a song – a seasonal vocalization specifically tied to mating and territory.
When a chickadee voices its namesake [chick-a-dee], however, it is a sound categorized as a call. Calls, distinct from songs, are uttered by both sexes and may be voiced year round.
Chickadees call to one another as the pair moves about [chick-a-dee], as a way of remaining in contact. Black-capped Chickadees also voice a host of variations that may scold a predator, give an “all clear,” announce a food source, and more. So those perky, acrobatic chickadees . . . yes, okay, they’re cute. But they’re also clever.
[chick-a-dee]
Hear them at birdnote.org.
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Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Chick-a-dee calls #106942 recorded by R.S. Little. Hey sweetie song #98802 recorded in Michigan by G.A. Keller.
BirdNote's theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and produced by John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2015 Tune In to Nature.org March 2017 Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# sound-13-2013-03-06 sound-13
Series
BirdNote
Episode
Voices and Vocabularies - Clever Chickadees
Producing Organization
BirdNote
Contributing Organization
BirdNote (Seattle, Washington)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-bfc1ac8d7bf
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Description
Episode Description
Few backyard birds are as beloved as the Black-capped Chickadee. The boldly patterned chickadee is perky, trusting – and it seems to introduce itself by calling its name – chick-a-dee. But when a chickadee voices its namesake call – using a host of variations – it’s most likely maintaining contact with its mate, scolding a predator, or announcing a food source. These chickadee calls, distinct from songs, are uttered by both sexes and may be voiced year-round.
Created Date
2017-03-16
Asset type
Episode
Topics
Science
Subjects
Birds
Rights
Sounds for BirdNote stories were provided by the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Xeno-Canto, Martyn Stewart, Chris Peterson, John Kessler, and others. Where music was used, fair use was taken into consideration. Individual credits are found at the bottom of each transcript.
Media type
Sound
Duration
00:01:45.195
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Producing Organization: BirdNote
AAPB Contributor Holdings
BirdNote
Identifier: cpb-aacip-11f77a8dc06 (Filename)
Format: Hard Drive
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:01:45
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Citations
Chicago: “BirdNote; Voices and Vocabularies - Clever Chickadees,” 2017-03-16, BirdNote, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed August 2, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-bfc1ac8d7bf.
MLA: “BirdNote; Voices and Vocabularies - Clever Chickadees.” 2017-03-16. BirdNote, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. August 2, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-bfc1ac8d7bf>.
APA: BirdNote; Voices and Vocabularies - Clever Chickadees. Boston, MA: BirdNote, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-bfc1ac8d7bf