Everything about The Mountain Chickadee totally explained
The
Mountain Chickadee (
Poecile gambeli) is a small
songbird, a
passerine bird in the
tit family Paridae. Often, it's 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 (Gill
et al., 2005). The
American Ornithologists' Union has been treating
Poecile as a distinct genus for some time.
Adults of both sexes have a black cap joining a black postocular stripe behind distinctive white eyebrows. Their backs and flanks are gray and they've paler gray underparts; they've a short black bill, and a black bib. The typical adult wingspan is 7.5 inches (19 cm), and the overall length is 5.5 inches (14 cm).
Common inhabitants of the mountainous regions of the western
United States, their range extends from the southern
Yukon to
California and western
Texas. Although primarily
nonmigratory, in the fall and winter Mountain Chickadees may extend their range into the lowlands typically inhabited by the similar
Black-capped Chickadee.
They breed monogamously, producing 1 to 2 broods per year. Incubation by the female is 14 days. The young are
altricial, and stay in the nest for 21 days while being fed by both parents.
Their primary diet is insects during the summer and breeding season;
conifer seeds and other plant seeds are taken throughout the year. They cling to the undersides of branches and to tree trunks, searching for food in the bark or breaking seeds open by hammering them with their beaks.
Their call is a throaty
chick-adee-dee-dee, while their song is a 3- or 4-note descending whistle
fee-bee-bay or
fee-bee-fee-bee. They travel in pairs or small groups, and may join
multi-species feeding flocks after breeding season.
The specific name honors naturalist
William Gambel.
Gallery
Image:MountainChickadee.jpg
Image:Poecile gambeli2.jpg
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mountain Chickadee'.
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