蜜桃恋人

Bird Sounds: Black-Capped Chickadee

The bold little chickadee is a welcome sight at any feeder.

Photo Credit
Photo by USFWS Mountain-Prairie via Wikimedia Commons

Black-capped Chickadee Calls

Tom Warren
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Here you can identify the sounds and birdsong of the black-capped chickadee. You may recognize their 鈥渃hick-a-dee-dee-ee鈥 or the whistled 鈥渇ee-bee.鈥

  1. Listen first for the two-note whistle of the male black-capped chickadee. It’s a very clear two-note song that drops in pitch and sounds like 鈥fee-bee.鈥 Now you know that THAT sound is! The males begin singing in mid-January, and the song increases in frequency as winter progresses. Females also sing occasionally.
  2. Then, listen for the chickadee call which sounds like 鈥chickadee-dee-dee.鈥  Interestingly, they will use an increasing numbers of dee notes when they are alarmed.

If you wish to attract the friendly chickadee, they will readily visit bird feeders and especially like sunflower seeds or suet in winter. You may see them take the food and fly away to store in a tree crevice for later.

Their diet is mostly seeds, insects, and berries. They can been seen hopping among branches and foraging for food, even flying out to catch insects mid-air.

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The bird sounds is complimentary, with permission from  Click here to listen to the sounds of other birds!

Have you heard a Black-Capped Chickadee? Add your comments below. Be sure to let us know where you live or where you’ve heard this bird sound before!

Bird Sounds
About The Author

Tom Warren

Tom Warren is a lifelong bird enthusiast. Tom is also committed to protecting birds and their habitat as a Trustee for both Massachusetts and聽New Hampshire Audubon, and聽the Harris Nature Center. Read More from Tom Warren
 

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Comments

Lisa (not verified)

6 years 7 months ago

Now I know which bird makes this sound! I live in western Washington.

jamie (not verified)

6 years 7 months ago

am in n. west ohio /heard them in my canadian yew bush !!!!!! and they stay hid in there but there sound and song is wonderful.

Leslie (not verified)

6 years 7 months ago

Two little birds come to my feeders all year round. I've heard the two-note call of a male, starting April Fools, Easter, 2018. I bought a nest box for the happy couple, and hope they use it! I'm located in Audubon, PA.

Linda (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

First time this year to see and hear comes often to my feeder. I live in Sugar Land Texas. The house finch also new this year but the Starlings are gone.

I live in the Western North Carolina Mountains.....and recently set up a new feeder.... with Black Oil Sunflower Seed. The very first bird to come was the Black Capped Chickadee... after only one day. A few days later... came the Junco... and then the Tufted Titmouse. I love the birds.......watching and listening to them is just so rewarding.......

Patricia Stapleton (not verified)

7 years 4 months ago

Well, after all those comments from USA and Canada, I am writing from Western Australia, a city of Gosnells. I am sure the 'strange' bird in my garden is this delightful bird and its song is quite shrill and short. Thank you for helping me find out what it is.

Lisa Paglieron鈥 (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

I live in Merrimack,N.H. and recently realized the Black-capped Chickadee is responsible for singing that beautiful song. I have two bird houses, this year one has House Wrens and the other has the Black capped Chickadee.

Brett (not verified)

7 years 6 months ago

I hear these birds in Colorado. We caught them on audio when filming. Their mournful song fit so well with the theme of the short film that we kept it in at the end.

Sandy (not verified)

7 years 6 months ago

I live in eastern Nebraska and I have seen these birds a lot, and I heard this sound and wondered for a such a long time what bird made this sound. I never connected the two. I am so glad to know this information.

Ginny (not verified)

7 years 6 months ago

I live in Minnesota and have been hearing this beautiful call, not sure of its owner! Now I know. So enjoying our spring friends flying about, singing. Best music!