Black-Capped Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadees eat
a variety of foods including insect eggs, ants, beetles, aphids, millipedes,
snails, and other small creatures. They also eat seeds of conifers, goldenrod,
ragweed, and wild fruit. Black-capped Chickadees are not very picky
at the feeder and will eat cornmeal, sunflower seeds, suet, pumpkin seeds,
and peanut butter.
Black-capped Chickadees prefer
to live in mixed hardwood-coniferous forests. They also reside in small
woodlands and shrubs by residential areas.
Both the male and female have
similar plumage. Black-capped Chickadees have light gray backs and
tails. They also have white bellies and cheeks. They got the name
"Black-capped Chickadee" because they have some black feathers on their
heads that look like a cap. Black-capped Chickadees also have some black
feathers on their necks that look similar to a bib. In the winter,
their sides are a deep brown.
Black-capped Chickadees survive
the freezing weather by storing food they can use later in the season.
Black-capped Chickadees can remember where they stored seeds for up to
eight months, which is more than enough time to get them through the winter.
Black-capped Chickadees also
survive the winter by lowering their body temperatures at night, entering
a state of controlled hypothermia. In essence, they slow the blood flowing
to the parts of their bodies they don't use while they are sleeping. This
helps them save much-needed energy.