Fun Grey-headed Chickadee Facts For Kids

There are close to 13 subspecies of chickadee birds in the world. Grey-headed chickadee Poecile cinctus is a member of the same family.

Grey-headed chickadee poecile cinctus is a small-sized bird that is endemic to North America in Northern Alaska, the arctic region, Europe, and others. The grey-headed chickadees are classified as the Least Concern bird species by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature (IUCN).

Although grey-headed chickadee is the Least Concern species they face a major threat from climate change and habitat loss.

The grey-headed chickadee is a cute bird of the world and they are sedentary and do not migrate. Grey-headed chickadee is primarily an omnivore and feeds on both seeds as well as insects.

These birds are primarily black, white, and gray all over; however, it is not known why they are addressed as a grey-headed chickadee. They are known by popular names like the Siberian tit and are among one of the smallest bird species.

For more relatable content, do check out our giant cowbird facts and red-backed shrike facts.

Grey-Headed Chickadee Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a grey-headed chickadee?

Grey-headed chickadee is a type of bird that belongs to the kingdom Animalia and the order Passeriformes.

What class of animal does a grey-headed chickadee belong to?

Grey-headed chickadee is a type of bird that belongs to the class Aves, family Paridae, and genus Poecile.

How many grey-headed chickadees are there in the world?

The grey-headed chickadee's exact population in the world is not evaluated. The grey-headed chickadee population map is available on the IUCN website. Their population is similar to black-headed grey and white chickadee. Their geographic range and population distribution are remote.

Where does a grey-headed chickadee live?

Grey-headed chickadees are small birds of the world that live in Spruce forests and rest on the branches of trees. These birds of the world live primarily in North America, Alaska, South Siberia, Europe, and Canada. Their geographic range is remote and this is supported by their relatively small populations.

What is a grey-headed chickadee's habitat?

The grey-headed chickadee's habitat constitutes streamside thickets, or in a tree, or in a spruce forest near a river probably. They are found close to the treeline.

They are seen in North America, northern Alaska as well as Canada. They prefer living in habitats where there are narrow strips of spruce and groves of willows that grow alongside streams or rivers.

The grey-headed chickadee map extends to the Arctic since they can survive the winter climate. During extreme winters like in the Arctic, such birds sustain themselves by feeding up on more food.

Who do grey-headed chickadees live with?

Grey-headed chickadees live by themselves as well as with other species of their own kind. The grey-headed chickadee is not seen close to human settlements.

During the breeding season, they stay close to the nest which they build on a tree or a cavity to protect the eggs or the chick that resides in the nest. They may change their nest from one tree to another tree or cavity as well if they sense any threat near their existing nest.

How long does a grey-headed chickadee live?

Grey-headed chickadee or the Siberian tit exact life expectancy is not evaluated. Black-capped chickadee a similar species in behavior and appearance live a lifeless than two to three years.

How do they reproduce?

Grey-headed chickadee mate and reproduce sexually. Breeding females brood the young while the male brings food for the young. The pairs remain together throughout the year on the permanent territory through the breeding season. The pairs may or may not remain together throughout the year for breeding. Little information exists on their courtship behavior or rituals.

Breeding males feed females prior to them laying eggs until nestlings grow about to half the size. They build nests in a tree cavity or in old woodpecker holes or cavities during breeding. Nesting occurs in a cavity.

nesting behavior is similar to other birds. The breeding females lay about 4-15 eggs. The incubation period lasts 14-18 days post-breeding.

Both parents are involved in bringing the young chicks food once they hatch. The young fledge and leave their nesting sites at about 19-20 days. They search for a new nest each season.

What is their conservation status?

Grey-headed chickadee IUCN red list of threatened species conservation status is Least Concern species. The grey-headed chickadee range map and status are available on the IUCN red list website.

Grey-Headed Chickadee Fun Facts

What do grey-headed chickadees look like?

Grey-headed chickadees, or the Siberian tit, are small-sized birds species and have a unique coloration color and pattern. They are similar to the boreal chickadee or the willow tit. They have an overall black, white, and brown plumage and lack the color gray however, they are addressed as grey-headed chickadees.

Their head is dark brown with white cheeks. Their head is small-sized. Their mantle is brown. Their wing feathers are blackish with fringes that are pink.

They have pale flanks and whitish underparts. They have dark-colored eyes on either side and dark-colored feet with claws. They are seen in North America, Alaska, and Canada.

How cute are they?

Grey-headed chickadee or the Siberian tit are cute species and they are active birds. Their conservation status is at Least Concern as per the IUCN.

Their populations are considered stable. They are similar to the Boreal chickadee or the willow tit. They are not migratory hence they are seen near the same regions, like in North America, northern Alaska, and Canada.

How do they communicate?

The grey-headed chickadee communicates via songs and calls. Their calls are insistent, with a nasal cheer or deer, and are more forceful. The grey-headed chickadee bird species communicate via body language as well as other forms of communication. They are not ideally sociable birds in behavior and would prefer staying alone until its mating season.

How big is a grey-headed chickadee?

Grey-headed chickadee is a North American bird and is 5.3-5.5 in (13.5- 14 cm) in length which is three times bigger than a bee hummingbird is 2.2-2.4 in (5.5-6.1 cm).

How fast can a grey-headed chickadee fly?

Grey-headed chickadee resides within their habitats and is seldom seen outside their habitat range, in North American territory. A chickadee bird beats 27 times per second.

How much does a grey-headed chickadee weigh?

The grey-headed chickadee weigh 0.02 lb (11 g). During winter, they may feed on dead carcasses if they don't find any other alternative.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Grey-headed chickadee males and grey-headed chickadee females are not addressed differently. The grey-headed chickadee differs in reproductive functions, however, they are equally involved in raising the eggs which develop into young chicks with females spending more time near the nest site.

What would you call a baby grey-headed chickadee?

Baby grey-headed chickadee is primarily called chicks. Both adults, male and female, feed the young once they hatch from their eggs. The green-headed chickadee is fed until they begin to fledge and are ready to live by themselves. The female is more involved as compared to the male in raising their young and provide support.

What do they eat?

The grey-headed chickadee diet is primarily omnivorous. The grey-headed chickadee feeds primarily on insects as well as seeds as part of their diet.

The grey-headed chickadee, boreal chickadee, or Siberian tit bird species feed on insects including caterpillar, fly or dung beetle as part of their diet. The juvenile chick's diet is the same as that of adults, including seeds and insects.

Are they dangerous?

No, these bird species are not dangerous. Their instant response to any form of danger is their flight instinct.

Predators of these bird species include hawks, owls, and shrikes. The grey-headed chickadee bird is a small-sized bird, and, owing to different colorations, it has the capability to camouflage. They are strong birds and have the capacity to be a winter resident within their habitats.

Would they make a good pet?

It's not ideal to keep such birds as pets since they are not as social in behavior and may prefer living away from human settlements. If you wish to see the grey-headed chickadee species you could visit regions they are native to in birdwatching sites.

Did you know...

During winter months, a chickadee might consume more than ten percent of its own body weight to sustain itself although it does not migrate and stays within the same habitat range. These songbirds are rare ones who don't migrate during winter climates and sustain themselves well in the winter months as well.

These birds are known hoarders and may store up food to survive. Surprisingly they remember multiple spots where they hide such food as well. They search for the same and find it with ease.

The chickadee has gained recognition as a national state bird of different states in the United States of America. An example is a black-capped chickadee that was the national state bird of Massachusetts in 1941. They are also the national state bird of Maine.

On 17 June, The 'audubon' website published an account of finding grey-headed chickadee.

Why are chickadees so friendly?

Yes, the grey-headed chickadee is a curious and friendly bird. As a birdwatcher or birder, you could attract birds to birdwatching sites. Birders who stay within their habitats often attract them by installing feeding sites. Birding is another popular hobby, which is when you visit birds like the grey-headed chickadee in their natural habitat to spot them.

What sound/song does a chickadee make?

They communicate via both songs as well as calls. Grey-headed chickadee songs are sweet. Their calls are insistent, with a nasal cheer or deer, and are more forceful. Their name suggests the sound they make most commonly i.e.

chik-a-dee-dee-dee or 'chick-a-dee'. They also have alarm calls in case they sense any threat which they use to alert other birds. Apart from these, they have courtship calls, gargle calls, non-alarming calls among others.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these mountain chickadee facts and whiskered treeswift facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable grey-headed chickadee coloring pages.