Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) lives in mountain coniferous across Western North America. It feeds on insects and seeds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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A real field recording of the Mountain Chickadee, made in the wild.
Mountain chickadees are master builders, nesting in cavities as shallow as 13 cm and as deep as 27 cm (5.1-11 in). The female lines the entrance with gathered fur and other soft material, creating a seal that shields the eggs from predators and cold. Some nests are reused year after year, so a single cavity can become a generational nursery.
While they snack on conifer seeds year-round, mountain chickadees get 70 percent of their calories from insects, making them voracious pest controllers. Their diet includes caterpillars, beetles, insect eggs, pupae and spiders, which they extract by hammering seeds or probing bark. By keeping insect numbers in check, these tiny birds help maintain the health of the forests they inhabit.
A mountain chickadee can fit on a ruler, its wings stretch just 7.5 in (19 cm) and its body measures only 5-6 in (13-15 cm), yet it sports a striking white line slicing through the black cap that no other North American chickadee has.
From the southern Yukon down to California and the Rocky Mountain states, mountain chickadees. Though a few may drift upward in summer and slide down to foothills in winter, those seasonal shifts are still a mystery to researchers.
Each breeding season a pair can raise up to two families, laying between five and nine speckled eggs per clutch. The female incubates them for exactly 14 days, then both parents feed the altricial chicks for another 21 days until they fledge.
Sources
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In the crisp, sun-dappled forests of the mountainous west, the Mountain Chickadee flits and flutters with an irrepressible air of joy, its tiny wings beating at a furious pace as it darts between branches in search of sustenance. With a bold black cap and snowy white cheeks, this diminutive songster is a vibrant splash of color against the muted tones of its alpine habitat, its very presence seeming to embody the carefree spirit of the wilderness. As it moves through the trees, its bright, inquisitive eyes sparkle like tiny jewels, drinking in the wonders of its surroundings with an insatiable curiosity.
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