Last Updated on January 27, 2024 by Greg Gillson
Chickadees are a favorite feeder bird throughout the United States. This cutie is found in the East and Southeast.
How do you attract Carolina Chickadees to your bird feeder? Follow these suggestions to attract Carolina chickadees to your yard.
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| N Lewis NPS. Public Domain |
Why attract Carolina Chickadees to your bird feeder?
Carolina Chickadees are the smallest chickadees in North America. That makes them especially cute.
These birds are inquisitive and not timid. They are not easily scared away from your yard when you are outside.
Carolina Chickadees will eat from window feeders and can be observed at close range through your window.
These small sprites like most bird seeds and readily come to your feeder.
They are year-round residents, so once they start coming to your bird feeder, they will be present at all seasons.
They are a bit shy when other birds are present. They are not belligerent and will not fight with other birds.
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| Walfred. Flickr. CC-BY-2.0 |
What foods will attract Carolina Chickadees to your feeder?
Carolina Chickadees love black oil sunflower seeds. They take these one at a time and fly away with the seed to crack it open and eat it away from the feeder. Then they come right back for another.
If you feed mixed seed, these chickadees eat any sunflowers, peanuts and nuts. They leave the smaller millet for sparrows.
The best mixed bird seed that I have found is Wagner’s Songbird Supreme. It is 50% sunflower seeds and doesn’t have any cheap filler seed that birds won’t eat. This seed attracts the largest variety of birds to your feeder.
Carolina Chickadees also love suet, especially in winter.
For my home feeders, I always purchase St Albans Bay Suet blocks. It comes in several flavors, including peanut and berry. They fit in required special suet cages, which are a type of bird feeder.
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| Festive Coquette. Flickr. CC-BY-2.0 |
What kind of feeders do Carolina Chickadees like?
Carolina Chickadees will eat from any type of feeder. But perhaps a hopper feeder or tube feeder is best.
The reason to feed chickadees from tube feeders is that these feeders allow smaller finches, chickadees, and nuthatches to get food. But larger birds have a harder time eating from tube feeders.
I really love the way my iBorn tube feeder looks, with its copper top. A screwdriver takes off the lower perch and opens it up for cleaning. This feeder filled with black oil sunflower seeds attracts all types of finches, chickadees, and nuthatches. The smaller perches and lack of tray mean that you’ll have fewer House Sparrows, Starlings, Doves, and Jays at this feeder.
Carolina Chickadees eat suet from special suet feeders. Suet blocks are locked into a cage so larger birds or mammals can’t steal the whole block.
I bought a Nature’s Way Upside-down suet feeder a couple years ago and have been very happy with it. Chickadees, nuthatches, bushtits, and woodpeckers eat from it easily. But starlings, blackbirds, and jays can’t hang upside down to get at the suet.
Carolina Chickadees will also eat mealworms–either live or dried. In summer, chickadees may switch to eating mostly insects. Then they won’t come to the feeder as often. So feeding live mealworms in summer may bring them to the feeder.
Where to place your bird feeder for Carolina Chickadees
Carolina Chickadees are tiny birds. Other birds tend to push them around at the feeder.
They would appreciate a separate sunflower seed feeder away from the hubbub of the sparrow feeders.
Once the Carolina Chickadees start coming to your main bird feeder, you might try setting up separate feeders for chickadees. They will come to small feeders on deck railings. They will come to window bird feeders.
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| Festive Coquette. Flickr. CC-BY-2.0 |
How else can you attract Carolina Chickadees to your yard?
Carolina Chickadees will come to bird baths if they aren’t too full. The shallower and smaller, the better. Place a rock or stick into the water. It should be high and dry at one end and gradually lead into the water.
They won’t like deep or slippery bird baths.
Carolina Chickadees will also use nest boxes. If you purchase these, look for entry hole size of 1-1/8 inches. That’s a bit smaller diameter than many bird nest boxes.
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| N Lewis NPS. Public Domain |
Problems with Carolina Chickadees: If you have attracted too many to your feeder
You won’t have a problem with too many Carolina Chickadees at once.
However, in the fall of the year, chickadees and nuthatches (jays, too) will come to cache sunflower seeds. They take the seeds away and hide them. They lodge them into crevices in bark, drop them into holes in trees, even bury them. Then in winter they’ll retrieve them and eat them.
If this is the case, and birds are eating, or stealing, too much bird seed, try rationing. Place in the feeder, only the amount of bird seeds the birds consume by noon. After that, don’t feed them any more.
Wrapping Up
The Carolina Chickadee’s popularity extends far beyond its adorable name and appearance. They possess several endearing qualities that endear them to humans, making them beloved symbols of nature and resilience:
Charming Appearance:
- Cuteness factor: Their small size, round bodies, beady black eyes, and fluffy plumage trigger our inherent nurturing instincts and evoke feelings of tenderness.
- Bold colors: Their black caps and bibs on a contrasting gray background create a distinct and visually appealing look that easily attracts attention.
- Expressive gestures: Their constant head tilts, curious pecks, and energetic flitting movements add a playful and captivating element to their presence.
Engaging Behavior:
- Friendly presence: Chickadees are often unafraid of humans, readily venturing close to bird feeders and even perching on windowsills, fostering a sense of connection and creating joyful encounters.
- Cheerful song: Their high-pitched “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call is instantly recognizable and associated with the serenity of nature, bringing a sense of peace and calm to their surroundings.
- Intelligence and curiosity: Their quick learning abilities and inquisitive nature are fascinating to observe, as they readily adapt to new environments and explore their surroundings with enthusiasm.
Symbolism and Cultural Significance:
- Persistence and resilience: These hardy birds survive harsh winters and cold temperatures, embodying a spirit of perseverance and determination that resonates with humans.
- Ecological importance: As insectivores, they play a crucial role in controlling insect populations and maintaining healthy ecosystems, reminding us of the delicate balance of nature.
- Accessibility and familiarity: Widespread and commonly found in backyards and parks, they offer a readily accessible connection to the natural world for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Overall, the Carolina Chickadee’s lovable combination of appearance, behavior, and symbolic significance cements its place as a cherished species for many. Their presence provides a source of joy, wonder, and inspiration, reminding us of the value of nature and the beauty of small creatures who play a vital role in our environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees?
Telling Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees apart can be tricky, especially since their ranges overlap in some areas and they hybridize occasionally. However, there are some key differences to look for:
General appearance:
- Size: Black-capped Chickadees are slightly larger and longer-tailed than Carolina Chickadees. However, size can vary depending on location and individual birds, so it’s not the most reliable identifier.
- Head markings: Both have black caps and bibs, but the white cheeks are different:
- Black-capped: The white extends cleanly all the way to the edge of the upper back.
- Carolina: The white fades gradually into gray as it goes back toward the nape.
- Throat: The line dividing the black bib and white chest is:
- Black-capped: More uneven, giving the bib a blobby, messy lower edge.
- Carolina: Relatively even and straight.
Coloration:
- Back: Black-capped has a slightly browner back compared to Carolina’s greyer back.
- Wing bars: Black-capped has more prominent white edging on its wing coverts, while Carolina’s wings are a plainer gray.
- Overall tone: Black-capped might appear slightly darker overall than Carolina.
Song:
- Black-capped: Lower-pitched and virtually always two-noted, with the second note lower and often in two pulses (fee beeyeee).
- Carolina: Higher-pitched and more variable, ranging from two to six notes (often a three-noted fee bee bee).
- Calls: Both have similar “chick-a-dee” calls, but Black-capped’s are slightly lower-pitched and longer, making the series slower.
Range:
- Black-capped: Primarily in northern and central North America.
- Carolina: Primarily in southeastern North America.
Overlap: Their ranges overlap in a band stretching from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast. In these areas, identifying based on range alone is unreliable.
Where are Carolina Chickadees found?
Carolina Chickadees are mainly found in the southeastern United States, with their breeding habitat encompassing a vast area:
- Northward: They reach New Jersey and Pennsylvania on the Atlantic coast and stretch westward to southern Kansas.
- Southward: Their range extends all the way down to Florida and Texas, covering the entire Gulf Coast region.
- Eastward: Their distribution encompasses the Atlantic coast, including barrier islands and coastal forests.
- Westward: Their range tapers off as they reach the Great Plains, where they encounter the overlapping habitat of their close relative, the Black-capped Chickadee.
However, there is a gap in their distribution at higher elevations within the Appalachian Mountains. In this region, they are replaced by the Black-capped Chickadee, which is better adapted to colder temperatures and higher altitudes.
Are Carolina Chickadees endangered?
The good news is that Carolina Chickadees are not considered endangered. In fact, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists them as a species of Least Concern. This means that their populations are stable and widespread, facing no immediate threat of extinction.
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