Poecile atricapillus
Northern and central woods and feeders. The Carolina chickadee replaces it in the Southeast. Tiny track, often just dimples in snow under a feeder.
What does a black-capped chickadee look like?
Black cap, black bib, white cheeks. The Carolina chickadee looks almost the same and lives farther south.
What do black-capped chickadee tracks look like?
Too small to read well. A tiny hopping print under a feeder, with the bird in view, is the usual case.
- Tiny track, often just dimples in snow under a feeder
- Black cap and bib, white cheeks
- Small gray body
- Often in a mixed flock
- Whitewash on a feeder pole
What does black-capped chickadee poop look like?
Tiny white drops under a feeder. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine.
Where you find it
Northern and central woods and feeders. The Carolina chickadee replaces it in the Southeast. Typical places: yard, woods. Year-round in much of the range. Some move south for winter.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not approach a nest
- If a bird is injured, call a local wildlife rehabilitator
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- White-breasted nuthatch identification
- Tufted titmouse identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
How do you tell a chickadee from a nuthatch?
A chickadee has a black bib and hops. A nuthatch has a long bill and walks headfirst down a trunk.
How to tell a black-capped chickadee from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- White-breasted nuthatch. The sign is the behavior on the trunk, not a footprint. White below, gray above, black cap, and a habit of walking down the tree headfirst.
- Tufted titmouse. Not a track identification. Gray, crested, with a black forehead and a pale belly.
Black-capped chickadee field marks
- Tiny track, often just dimples in snow under a feeder
- Black cap and bib, white cheeks
- Small gray body
- Often in a mixed flock
Where the sign shows up
Northern and central woods and feeders. The Carolina chickadee replaces it in the Southeast. Typical places: yard, woods. Year-round in much of the range. Some move south for winter.
Too small to read well. A tiny hopping print under a feeder, with the bird in view, is the usual case. Tiny white drops under a feeder.
Common questions
How do you tell a chickadee from a nuthatch?
A chickadee has a black bib and hops. A nuthatch has a long bill and walks headfirst down a trunk.