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Chickadees are tiny songbirds named for their characteristic song and there are seven species found in North America. You'll find the Black-capped Chickadee across the northern US into Canada. The Carolina Chickadee holds sway in the Southeast. Hear the husky voice of a Mountain Chickadee in the Rockies. Travel to Canada for the Boreal Chickadee. This Chestnut-backed Chickadee calls the Pacific Northwest home. The Mexican Chickadee just nudges into SE Arizona. And the Gray-headed Chickadee turns up north of the Arctic Circle. Which of these chickadees sings near you?
BirdNote®
Chickadee Line-up
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
[Black-capped Chickadee “chick-a-dee-dee” calls]
The image of this dapper Black-capped Chickadee frequently adorns holiday cards and bags of birdseed. But the Black-capped is only one of seven species of chickadees found in North America.
[Black-capped Chickadee “chick-a-dee-dee” call]
All have bold black-and-white patterns on their faces, and each calls “chick-a-dee” with its own regional accent. While you’ll find the Black-capped Chickadee across the northern U.S. into Canada, its close cousin, the Carolina Chickadee holds sway in the Southeast.
[Carolina Chickadee song and call]
Hike among conifers in the Rockies, and you’ll be greeted by the husky voice of a Mountain Chickadee.
[Mountain Chickadee call]
Or listen in the dense spruce forests of Canada for the call of the Boreal Chickadee.
[Boreal Chickadee call]
A chickadee of resplendent brown, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, calls the Pacific Northwest home.
[Chestnut-backed Chickadee call]
The Mexican Chickadee just nudges into the mountains of southeast Arizona...
[Mexican Chickadee call]
... and the Gray-headed Chickadee turns up in the extreme northwest corner of the continent, north of the Arctic Circle.
[Gray-headed Chickadee call]
No matter which chickadee you find, take a moment to enjoy one of nature’s most delightful creatures.
[Black-capped Chickadee “chick-a-dee-dee” call]
Hear the calls of all seven again, on our website, birdnote.org. I’m Mary McCann.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird calls provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Black-capped Chickadee recorded by G.A. Keller; Carolina Chickadee (song and call) by W.L. Hershberger 84819; Mountain Chickadee by R.S. Little; Boreal Chickadee by G.Vyn; Chestnut-backed Chickadee by G.A. Keller; Mexican Chickadee 40593 by G.A. Keller; and Gray-headed Chickadee by G. Vyn. Narrator: Mary McCann
© 2015 Tune In to Nature.org February 2017 / 2021 & August 2023 & September 2025
ID# chickadee-01b-2011-02-23 chickadee-01b
Bob Sundstrom
Writer
Mary McCann
NarratorSights & Sounds
