Chickadee WESTERN BIRDS 



GENUS PENTHESTES : MOUNTAIN 

 CHICKADEE. 



Mountain Chickadee: Penthestes gambeli gambeli, 

 FAMILY— TITMICE. 



On the western coast, extending from British Colum- 

 bia and west central Alberta, and east central Montana 

 south to the southern Sierra Nevada in California and 

 mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas 

 is found the Mountain Chickadee, which differs some- 

 what from the eastern species. 



The top of the head and throat are black, with side 

 of head white ; upper parts ashy-gray ; under parts gray- 

 ish white with sides gray. The thing which distinguishes 

 it from others of the tribe is the conspicuous white line 

 above the eye which cuts into the black crown, usually 

 meeting on the forehead. 



In the high altitudes these birds are the same jolly 

 midgets as their eastern cousins, but seldom do they 

 come to the vallej^s and gardens. Perhaps the fact that 

 there is no severe weather to escape may account for 

 their neglect of their human friends. 



Yet in the winter of 1914, and again in 1920, one of 

 these birds was in my garden several times, his 

 plaintive Chick-a-dee-de attracting my attention to his 

 presence. The note resembles that of the Plain Tit- 

 mouse, but is weaker, higher pitched and different in 

 tone. 



This bird was all alone and stayed about for several 

 weeks. He ate mostly from the pepper trees and once I 

 distinctly saw him eat the pepper berries, a thing that 

 many birds do, but hardly to be suspected of a Chick- 

 adee. In the mountains they go about in jolly bands, 



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