Carolina Chickadee Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesCarolina Chickadee
Tiny, approachable bird with a short neck and large head, giving it a distinctive spherical body shape. Stark white cheeks contrast with black cap and throat. Note grayish nape or collar and grayish edging on secondaries.
© Martina Nordstrand / Macaulay LibrarySouth Carolina, December 06, 2020© Daniel Irons / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, December 08, 2019
Song is a distinctive 4-noted whistle, longer than songs of other chickadees.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, May 13, 2012Not all videos have sound
Tiny and round with a short bill. Gray overall with a black cap and throat, and stark white cheeks. Note gray-edged secondaries.
© Michael O'Brien / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, February 18, 2017Acrobatic forager found in deciduous and mixed deciduous-evergreen woodlands, swamps, riparian areas, open woods and parks, and also in suburban and urban areas.
© Brad Imhoff / Macaulay LibraryOhio, September 17, 2020Similar SpeciesBlack-capped Chickadee
Adult
Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees have very little range overlap, so check range maps and listen for song differences. Black-capped also has more white edging on the wing coverts, whereas Carolina's wings are a plainer gray.
© Scott Martin / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 03, 2017Similar SpeciesWhite-breasted Nuthatch
Adult
White-breasted Nuthatches have a short tail and longer bill, and lack Carolina Chickadee's black throat patch. Nuthatches behave very differently from chickadees, sticking to tree trunks and large branches rather than hanging from twigs.
© Gordon Dimmig / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, April 15, 2011Similar SpeciesBlackpoll Warbler
Breeding male
Male Blackpoll Warblers have smaller heads and are less plump than Carolina Chickadees. They lack the full black throat of Carolina Chickadee and are streakier on the back and the flanks.
© Simon Boivin / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, May 29, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Paridae)
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