BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE. 



WINTER BIRDS. 



By 



C. J. MAYNARD. 



BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE. 



Aside from the omnipresent English sparrow, one of the most com- 

 mon birds which we see in winter is the lively little black-capped chicka- 

 dee. There are probably few birds better known than this species, part- 

 ly because it is common, but more particularly because it is constantly 

 reiterating: its name. "Chick-a-dee-dee-dee" is the burden of the lav 

 which we hear coming; from woodland, field and orchard, as the busy 

 little birds keep up a continual search for insects. Less often heard and 

 much less well known, is a long drawn, somewhat plaintively given"cee- 

 dee," a note which is often mistaken for that of the phoebe. 



While it is well to remember that the phoebe, which is a species of 

 flycatcher, is not found in the northern states in winter, it is better to 

 learn the difference between the long drawn out "cee-dee" of the chick- 

 adee and the more emphatically given "phoe-be" of the flycatcher. 



When heard together and contrasted, there is really very little resem- 

 blance between the two. The "cee-dee" is twice as long in duration as 

 the "phoe-be". The note of the chickadee is rather indolently given, 

 with a decided plaintive intonation, while the note of the phoebe is 

 jerked out quickly and has a rather harsh intonation. 



Aside from the notes mentioned, the chickadee has a low sweet song. 

 This is, however, rarely heard. 



Though the chickadee's k4 cee-dee" is indolently given, it is at wide vari- 

 ance with the hahitsof the bird. There are few more active little birds in 

 this country than the chickadees, yet they are active without convey- 

 ing the idea that they are fussy. They simply fly from twig to twig or 

 from branch to branch, busily engaged in searching for insects, their larva 

 or eggs, and one feels as he watches them that their work, although 

 quickly done, is performed without undue haste, and is thoroughly ac- 

 complished. 



The black cap and throat and gray bodies of the chickadee are well 

 known distinguishing marks of the species. The Hudsonian chickades 

 which is a very rare bird as far south as Massachusetts, but which is more 

 common in northern New England, has a brown head and genera/ 

 brownish tint to the body. 



