5-5 1/2" (13-14 cm). Brown crown
, black eye-stripe, white
cheeks, gray nape, black throat. Brown back; brownish-red flanks; gray wings and tail;
white breast. Poecile
hudsonicus
(Boreal
Chickadee)
Physical
Description:
5-5 1/2" (13-14 cm). Brown
crown, black eye-stripe, white
cheeks, gray nape, black throat. Brown back; brownish-red flanks; gray wings and tail;
white breast.
Similar Species- Chestnut-backed, Black- capped, and Mountain chickadees.
Song:
A
lazy shick-a-day-day.
Distribution:
Resident
from western and central Alaska, east to northern Saskatchewan and Labrador,
and south to Washington, Montana, Minnesota, and northern New England. Wanders
irregularly south after breeding season.
Habitat:
Found in boreal coniferous and mixed forests, in
muskeg bogs, in vicinity of white
cedar and hemlock swamps, and in birches and streamside willows. In Idaho, prefers
open, subalpine forests in northern part of state, but is also found in low,
dense montane forests.
Diet:
Eats conifer and birch seeds,
and eggs, immature stages, and adults of insects.
Ecology:
Nests in natural or
excavated cavity in tree or standing snag. Forages in foliage. Forms mixed-species
flocks in winter.
Reproduction:
Female incubates 4-9 eggs (usually 6-7),
for 11-16 days. Young are tended by both parents, and leave nest at 18 days.
Conservation:
| Element Code: | ABPAW01060 |
| Status: | Protected nongame species |
| Global Rank: | G5 |
| State Rank: | S1 |
Important
State References:
Taylor,
D.M. and C.H. Trost. 1987. The status of rare birds in Idaho. Murrelet 68:69-93.