The Chickadee {Penthestes atricapUlus) 



By Thomas Nuttall 



Length, about 5% inches. 



Range: Resident in the United States (except the southern half east of 

 the plains), Canada, and Alaska. 



Habits and economic status : Because of its delightful notes, its confiding 

 ways, and its fearlessness, the chickadee is one of our best-known birds. It 

 responds to encouragement, and by hanging within its reach a constant supply 

 of suet the chickadee can be made a regular visitor to the garden and orchard. 

 Though insignificant in size, titmice are far from being so from the economic 

 standpoint, owing to their numbers and activity. While one locality is being 

 scrutinized for food by a larger bird, 10 are being searched by the smaller 

 species. The chickadee's food is made up of insects and vegetable matter in 

 the proportion of 7 of the former to 3 of the latter. Moths and caterpillars are 

 favorites and form about one-third of the whole. Beetles, ants, wasps, bugs, 

 flies, grasshoppers, and spiders make up the rest. The vegetable food is com- 

 posed of seeds, largely those of pines, with a few of the poison ivy and some 

 weeds. There are few more useful birds than the chickadees. 



This familiar, hardy and restless little bird chiefly inhabits the northern 

 and middle states, as well as Canada. In the latter country it is found even 

 in winter around Hudson's Bay. 



During autumn and winter families of these birds are seen chattering and 

 roving through the woods, busily engaged in gleaning food. Along with the 

 Creepers and Nuthatches they form a busy, active and noisy group, whose 

 manners, habits and food bring them together in a common pursuit. Their 

 diet varies with the season; for besides insects and their eggs, of which they 

 are particularly fond, in September they leave the woods and assemble fa- 

 miliarly in our orchards and gardens. Sometimes they even enter cities in 

 quest of food. Large seeds of many kinds, particularly those which are oily, 

 are now sought after. Fat of various kinds is also greedily eaten, and the 

 Chickadees regularly watch the retreat of the hog-killers in the country to 

 glean up the fragments of meat which adhere to the places where the carcasses 

 have been suspended. At times they feed upon the wax of the candleberry 

 myrtle. They likewise pick up crumbs near the houses, and search the 

 weather-boards, and even the window-sills for insect prey. They are particu- 

 larly fond of spiders and the eggs of destructive moths, especially those of 

 the canker worm, which they greedily devour In all stages of its existence. 



In winter, when hunger is satisfied, they will descend to the snow and 

 quench their thirst by swallowing small bits. In this way their various and 

 frugal meal is always easily supplied ; and hardy and warmly clad in light and 



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