Mountain Chickadee
Encyclopedia
The Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) is a small songbird
, a passerine
bird
in the tit family
Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b
sequence
data and morphology
suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union
has been treating Poecile as a distinct genus for some time.
Adults of both sexes have a black cap joining a black postocular stripe behind distinctive white eyebrows. Their backs and flanks are gray and they have paler gray underparts; they have a short black bill, and a black bib. The typical adult wingspan is 7.5 inches (19 cm), and the overall length is 5-6 inches (14 cm).
Common inhabitants of the mountainous regions of the western United States
, their range extends from the southern Yukon
to California
and Rocky Mountain States in the United States. A few Mountain Chickadees may migrate locally up the mountains in the summer and down into the mountain foothills in the winter; but this phenomenon is not well documented. In the Santa Fe Valley of the southern Rocky Mountains, in New Mexico, they can be found about 300 feet above town, at 7,300 feet, as well at the base of the tallest mountains, Tesuque and Baldy at 10,400 feet; that mountain base is located 25 minutes up the one mountain road from the valley.
They breed monogamously, producing 1 to 2 broods per year. Incubation by the female is 14 days. The young are altricial
, and stay in the nest for 21 days while being fed by both parents.
Their primary diet is insects during the summer and breeding season; conifer seeds and other plant seeds are taken throughout the year. They cling to the undersides of branches and to tree trunks, searching for food in the bark or breaking seeds open by hammering them with their beaks.
Their call is a throaty chick-adee-dee-dee, while their song is a 3- or 4-note descending whistle fee-bee-bay or fee-bee-fee-bee. They travel in pairs or small groups, and may join multi-species feeding flocks after breeding season.
The specific name honors naturalist William Gambel
.
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
, a passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the tit family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b
Cytochrome b
Cytochrome b/b6 is the main subunit of transmembrane cytochrome bc1 and b6f complexes. In addition, it commonly refers to a region of mtDNA used for population genetics and phylogenetics.- Function :...
sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
data and morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
has been treating Poecile as a distinct genus for some time.
Adults of both sexes have a black cap joining a black postocular stripe behind distinctive white eyebrows. Their backs and flanks are gray and they have paler gray underparts; they have a short black bill, and a black bib. The typical adult wingspan is 7.5 inches (19 cm), and the overall length is 5-6 inches (14 cm).
Common inhabitants of the mountainous regions of the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, their range extends from the southern Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Rocky Mountain States in the United States. A few Mountain Chickadees may migrate locally up the mountains in the summer and down into the mountain foothills in the winter; but this phenomenon is not well documented. In the Santa Fe Valley of the southern Rocky Mountains, in New Mexico, they can be found about 300 feet above town, at 7,300 feet, as well at the base of the tallest mountains, Tesuque and Baldy at 10,400 feet; that mountain base is located 25 minutes up the one mountain road from the valley.
They breed monogamously, producing 1 to 2 broods per year. Incubation by the female is 14 days. The young are altricial
Altricial
Altricial, meaning "requiring nourishment", refers to a pattern of growth and development in organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own soon after hatching or being born...
, and stay in the nest for 21 days while being fed by both parents.
Their primary diet is insects during the summer and breeding season; conifer seeds and other plant seeds are taken throughout the year. They cling to the undersides of branches and to tree trunks, searching for food in the bark or breaking seeds open by hammering them with their beaks.
Their call is a throaty chick-adee-dee-dee, while their song is a 3- or 4-note descending whistle fee-bee-bay or fee-bee-fee-bee. They travel in pairs or small groups, and may join multi-species feeding flocks after breeding season.
The specific name honors naturalist William Gambel
William Gambel
William Gambel was an American naturalist and collector.Gambel was born in Philadelphia. In 1838 he travelled with the naturalist Thomas Nuttall on a collecting trip to North Carolina. In March 1841 he set off alone to collect plants for Nuttall. He travelled west, taking a more southerly route to...
.
External links
- Mountain Chickadee - Poecile gambeli - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Mountain Chickadee Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Mountain Chickadee Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Mountain Chickadee photo gallery VIREO
- Mountain Chickadee videos on the Internet Bird Collection