Poecile carolinensis (Carolina Chickadee)

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Carolina Chickadee

Common Names in French:

Mésange De Caroline

Description

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Family Paridae

A large Family of small stocky woodland passerine birds with short stout bills. They nest in holes , and lay white speckled eggs .

Physical Description

Adult : Head : Cap: black Face : Cheeks: white Chin: black bib Bill: black Length: short Body: Lower Belly: buff gray wash Upper Belly: white Flanks: buff gray wash Sides: buff gray wash Underparts: white Upperparts: gray Legs : Foot Color: blackish gray Leg Color: blackish gray Tail: Crissum: buff gray wash Length: short Shape : slightly notched.

Size/Age/Growth

About 4.75 inches long, with a wingspan of 7.5 to 7.5 inches. Adults weigh about 0.4 ounces .

Habitat

The Carolina Chickadee prefers forested or wooded habitats .

Biology

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Diet

It eats primarily insects and also spiders, fruits, and seeds. It forages by searching among tree branches, trunks , pine cones, and dead leaf clusters . It also frequents bird feeders .

Mostly: Insects

Lesser Quantities of: Seeds Fruit

Reproduction

The breeding season begins in early April, peaks later that month until early May, and extends through mid-June. Breeding habitat includes a variety of wooded and forested areas. This species is a cavity nester and will nest in snags , trees , rotten fenceposts, or nest boxes. It will excavate its own cavity, use an old woodpecker cavity, or find a natural cavity. The cavity is lined with moss, plant material , down , and feathers . The female lays 5-8 (usually 6) eggs that both adults incubate for 11-12 days. The young are altricial and fledge 13-17 days after hatching .

Breeding Habitat: Woodland
Nest Location: Mid-story/canopy nesting
Nest Type: Cavity
Clutch Size: 5-8
Length of Incubation : 11-12 days
Days to Fledge: 13-17
Number of Broods: ?

Migration

Nonmigratory

The Carolina Chickadee's call is chick-a-dee-dee-dee or a shortened version of the same. The song of this species is usually four whistled notes , fee-bee fee-bay.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom: Animalia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Deuterostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Chordonia () - (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Phylum: Chordata () - Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
        Subphylum: Vertebrata () - Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
        Infraphylum: Gnathostomata () - Auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
        Superclass: Tetrapoda () - Goodrich, 1930
        Class: Aves () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Birds
        Subclass: Neornithes () - Gadow, 1893
        Infraclass: Neoaves ()
        Superorder: Passerimorphae ()
        Order: Passeriformes () - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Perching Birds
        Suborder: Passeri ()
        Parvorder: Passerida ()
        Superfamily: Sylvioidea ()
        Family: Paridae () - Chickadees, Titmice
        Genus: Poecile ()
        Specific name: carolinensis - (Audubon, 1834)
        Scientific name: - Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834)

Unambiguous Synonyms

Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Similar Species

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Black Capped Chickadee

Members of the genus Poecile

There are approximately 47 species in this genus:

P. affinis · P. atricapilla (Black-Capped Chickadee) · P. atricapilla atricapilla · P. atricapillus (Black-Capped Chickadee) · P. atricapillus atricapillus · P. atricapillus colletti · P. atricapillus elenae · P. atricapillus occidentalis · P. atricapillus practica (Black-Capped Chickadee) · P. atricapillus turneri · P. carolinensis (Carolina Chickadee) · P. carolinensis extimus · P. carolinensis impiger · P. cincta (Gray-Headed Chickadee) · P. cincta lapponica · P. cincta lathami · P. cinctus · P. davidi · P. gambeli (Mountain Chickadee) · P. gambeli abbreviatus · P. gambeli atratus · P. gambeli baileyae · P. gambeli gambeli · P. gambeli inyoensis · P. hudsconica · P. hudsonica (Boreal Chickadee) · P. hudsonica columbiana · P. hudsonica hudsonica · P. hudsonica littoralis · P. hudsonicus (Boreal Chickadee) · P. lagubra · P. lugubris · P. lugubris lugubris · P. montana · P. montanus · P. palustris · P. palustris dresseri · P. palustris palustris · P. rufescens (Chestnut-Backed Chickadee) · P. rufescens barlowi · P. rufescens rufescens · P. sclateri (Mexican Chickadee) · P. sclateri eidos · P. sclateri sclateri · P. superciliosa · P. superciliosus · P. tunkanensis

More Info

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Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Notes

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Contributors

Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 29, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 6 providers.
Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Universal Biological Indexer and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 17, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 29, 2008:

Avian Knowledge Network: eBird
Avian Knowledge Network: Great Backyard Bird Count
Avian Knowledge Network: Project FeederWatch
Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds (Aves)
Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Bird Collection
Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates: Bird Collection
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3848413
Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-554383
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13810338
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 554383
Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABPAW01020
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 228