214 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE 

 Penthestes rufescens rufescens ( ./. K. Toiciisciid) 



A. (). r. Number 741 



General Description. — Length, 5 inches. Upper 

 parts, brown : under parts, brown and white. No 

 crest; bill, shorter than head; wings, long and rounded; 

 tail, shorter than wing, slightly rounded. 



Color. — Crown and hindneck, plain sepia brown, 

 becoming darker along lateral margin ; hack, shoulders, 

 ami ntinp, f>laiii chestnut; upper tail-coverts and lesser 

 wing-coverts, brownish-gray or hair brown; wings and 

 tail, deep brownish-gray with paler gray edgings, these 

 broader and paler (sometimes nearly white) on inner 

 wing-quills and terminal portion of greater wing- 

 coverts; cheek region, chin, throat, and upper part of 



chest, uniform dark sooty-brown, abruptly defined pos- 

 teriorly ; sides and flanks, chestnut ; under parts of 

 body otherwise, white; under tail-coverts tinged with 

 brown ; iris, brown. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : In a dead stump from 12 

 to 40 feet up : lined with hair, fur. feathers, and moss. 

 Eggs : 5 to 7, white, usually unmarked, but some- 

 times minutely specked or spotted with chestnut or 

 reddish. 



Distribution. — Pacific coast district, from northern 

 California to Prince William Sound and head of Lynn 

 Canal, Alaska; east to Montana. 



Titmice personify inquisitiveness. They are 

 feathered interrogation points ; prying into each 

 hole, crack, and cranny ; interviewing and ques- 

 tioning every passer-by. In this respect the 

 Chestnut-backed Chickadee is typical of the Tit- 

 mouse family, but why is it colored so differently 

 from other Chickadees which inhabit the same 

 region? Here is a question for future ornitholo- 

 gists to answer. 



This sprightly, cheerful little acrobat of the 

 trees is common in some of the timberlands of 

 the Northwest ; but is not by any means confined 

 to them, as, like other Titmice, it visits the 

 homes of man and is as fearless as the common 

 Chickadee. Nevertheless, the great coniferous 

 forests of the humid Pacific coast region seem 

 to be its favorite hunting grounds ; and there, far 

 up amid the foliage of tall pines, firs, and cedars 

 that tower toward the sky, it flutters, turns, pries, 

 creeps, and clings, searching out desttuctive in- 

 sect enemies of its sheltering friends, the trees. 



Often invisible by reason of the dense 

 greenery, its cheery notes are the only indications 

 of its presence that are perceptible to the foot 

 passengers in the shades below. As a matter of 

 course, it is seen more commonly in open de- 

 ciduous woods. It is by no means averse to set- 

 tled regions, and may be found along roadways 

 and even in orchards and shade trees. 



The old nursery rime, " Little Tommy Tittle- 

 mouse, lives in a little house," applies perfectly 

 to this species ; for its snug domicile in the 

 hollow of a tree has doorway, floor, and roof and 

 is carpeted or lined with a felting of hair, fur, 

 wool, or feathers. It is a safe, comfortable little 

 house quite sufficient for the owtier's simple 

 needs. Moreover this Chickadee nests in bird 

 hotises put up for other birds and the habit grows. 



While the young are in the nest the parents 



wurk with tireless indtistry ; searching bark, leaf, 

 and twig for insects with which to fill the many 

 little gaping, hungry mouths ])rotruding upward 

 from the well-filled nest. In the search for food 

 the parents are constantly on the move ; swing- 

 ing, twisting, hanging, fluttering, climbing, and 

 even turning an occasional half-somersault in 

 air when pursuing some winged insect that seeks 

 safety in precipitate erratic flight. The Chickadee 

 views the world from all angles, and is quite as 

 much at home wrong side tip as right side up. 

 It plays a continual game of hide and seek or 

 " tag, yoti're it," which it seems to delight in, 

 but it is played mostly in the line of business — 

 the serious business of getting a living. 



When the young are fledged and able to fly 

 they are near replicas of the parents, but some- 

 what abbreviated and even more fluffy. Away 

 they all go, fluttering and scampering through 

 the labyrinth of coniferous branches, often in 

 company with Golden-crowned Kinglets, Oregon 

 Chickadees, Mountain Chickadees, Creepers, or 

 \\'arblers. When winter winds rage over the 

 forests, when rain and snow storm into their 

 fastnesses, the Chickadees pack their little 

 stomachs well with insects' eggs, pupse, or seeds 

 and hie themselves to some snug sheltered 

 refuge in the trees where, warm and dry, they 

 sleep away the long winter nights. 



Edward Howe Forbush. 



The California, or Nicasio. Chickadee {Pen- 

 thestes rufescens neglectiis) and Barlow's 

 Chickadee {Penthestes rufescens harloivi) are 

 geographical varieties of the Chestnut-backed. 

 They are found in central California in the coast 

 district. The California has less chestnut on its 

 sides and flanks, which exteriorly are pale gray. 

 The Barlow's has the sides and flanks entirely 

 pale gray. 



