Fun Boreal Chickadee Facts For Kids

Do you want to find out some fascinating facts about the boreal chickadee? Read on! This article will tell you everything you need to know about these North American birds, from their breeding season to how they store food.

If you're interested in bird conservation, you will want to know all about the boreal chickadee, Poecile hudsonicus. This species of bird establishes its breeding range in forests of the far north in Canada and the United States. They are not traditionally a migrating species as they can withstand cold temperatures but some individuals migrate south in the winter in search of food.

During the breeding season, the boreal chickadee makes a nest in hollow trees from leaves, moss, feathers, and other materials it can find. These North American birds are all about family first, looking after their young and mating with one individual all their lives. Read on to find out how they relate to other chickadee species such as black-capped chickadees.

If you like what you read about the boreal chickadee, why not give our other articles a read, such as these facts about the Blackburnian warbler and the rusty blackbird?

What type of animal is a Boreal Chickadee?

A boreal chickadee is a bird.

What class of animal does a Boreal Chickadee belong to?

The boreal chickadee belongs to the class of birds.

How many Boreal Chickadees are there in the world?

Although it is hard to estimate the total number of boreal chickadees currently living in North America, there is currently no concern about this species. Its population is stable, although this could change if global temperatures were to rise significantly.

Where does a Boreal Chickadee live?

The woods and other forest areas.

What is a Boreal Chickadee's habitat?

The boreal chickadee, Poecile hudsonicus by its scientific name, primarily lives in high-altitude coniferous forests such as boreal spruce-fir forests. It can be found in Canada and other parts of North America, including states in the northern U.S. While most remain close to their breeding range throughout the year, they can be seen traveling within it or traveling south in winter, but this is thought to be for lack of food, not because of the temperature. Boreal chickadees are found in altitudes up to 5,500 ft (1676 m), meaning they can withstand very low temperatures. This species is even found so far north in North America that it can live within the limits of the Arctic Circle.

Who do Boreal Chickadees live with?

Boreal chickadees are territorial birds, especially during the breeding season. When it comes to migrating south in the winter, however, they might join with flocks of other species of birds.

When it comes to mating, boreal chickadees are monogamous birds, meaning they will stay with one partner throughout the whole year and sometimes their whole life.

How long does a Boreal Chickadee live?

Although it is not known exactly how long a boreal chickadee lives on average, it lives to reproduce several times, so at least a few years.

How do they reproduce?

As a species of bird, boreal chickadees reproduce by mating and laying eggs. As mentioned above, they are monogamous birds, with one partner for life. Boreal chickadees reproduce once a year.

To lay their eggs, boreal chickadees make a nest in a cavity in rotten or hollow wood, about 12 feet off the ground. The nest is made more comfortable by adding moss, leaves, feathers, and bark to it. The female lays between four and nine eggs and incubates them for about two weeks before they hatch, while the male provides food. The young birds are looked after and fed by the adults for about 18 days, after which they leave the nest.

What is their conservation status?

The North American bird is listed as a species of Least Concern. The main threat it faces is habitat destruction and climate change, which could lead to its population becoming endangered with time.

What do Boreal Chickadees look like?

A boreal chickadee is a very small bird in the family of tits. Its plumage is mostly grey, with a brown cap on its head and a brown belly. Its face is mostly grey, with white patches on the sides, and it has a black throat. The boreal chickadee's beak or bill is very short and black, and it has short wings and a very long notched tail.

Male, female, and young birds all share similar physical features and plumage.

How cute are they?

As they are so small in size, boreal chickadees can be considered a very cute bird species.

How do they communicate?

Boreal chickadees have a husky call that sounds like 'tsk-a-dee-dee', which is where its name chickadee comes from.

How big is a Boreal Chickadee?

The boreal chickadee is a very small species of bird: it is only about 5 in (13 cm) long, which is half the size of a hedgehog.

How fast can a Boreal Chickadee fly?

It is hard to know exactly how fast a boreal chickadee can fly, but as a small bird, it is very aerodynamic.

How much does a Boreal Chickadee weigh?

Boreal chickadees are extremely small and light birds, only weighing in at about 0.35 oz (10g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for male or female members of the species.

What would you call a baby Boreal Chickadee?

Young boreal chickadees do not have a specific name, other than 'juveniles' or 'young'.

What do they eat?

Boreal chickadees are omnivorous birds, meaning they eat both vegetation and insects. Their favored diet includes seeds, insects, spiders, and caterpillars. They like to feed on seeds that they extract from cones of trees such as spruce firs.

Boreal chickadees sometimes store food that they forage in their nest to keep for the winter season when food might not be as readily available.

Are they dangerous?

Boreal chickadees are a completely inoffensive species, except if you are one of the insects listed above!

Would they make a good pet?

No, they are a wild species of birds who live in forests, so they would not make good pets.

Did you know...

Boreal chickadees do not abandon their young. Males and females take turns feeding their babies until they are old enough to forage on their own, after about 18 days.

Boreal chickadees are one of the only known species of songbirds that live in the same habitat, boreal forests, all year long. Their migration patterns are thought to be related to food, not temperature.

Boreal chickadees are passerine birds, from the order Passeriformes, which means they are perching birds or songbirds.

What do Boreal Chickadees sound like?

The boreal chickadee song is a husky 'tsk-a-dee-dee', which is where it got its name from. During nesting season, boreal chickadees are very quiet, and thus very hard to spot for bird watchers.

What are Chickadees known for?

Chickadees, tits, and titmice are all part of the same family of birds, the tit family Paridae.

Boreal chickadees are also very closely related to other chickadee species such as black-capped chickadees, who as their names indicate have a black cap on their heads instead of a brown one. Other chickadee species include the Carolina chickadee, the mountain chickadee, or the chestnut-backed chickadee.

Chickadees feed by foraging in coniferous forests on trees such as the balsam fir, probing into their bark to find insects and seeds. They can also hang from twigs and branches, or hover by tree trunks.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including the belted kingfisher and the Florida scrub jay.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our Boreal Chickadee coloring pages.