| Chestnut-backed chickadee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chestnut-backed chickadee by Louis Agassiz Fuertes | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Paridae |
| Genus: | Poecile |
| Species: | P. rufescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Poecile rufescens (Townsend, JK, 1837) | |
 | |
| Range of Poecile rufescens | |
| Synonyms | |
Parus rufescens | |
The chestnut-backed chickadee (Poecile rufescens) is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae, native to western North America.
In the early 20th century, Joseph Grinnell hypothesized that the chestnut-backed chickadee diverged from the boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus), because both species inhabited similar coniferous forest environments. Grinnell noted that the main differences between the boreal chickadee and the chestnut-backed were in the shade and tone of their respective brown coloration. He drew parallels between the varied chickadee characteristics using the fact that some bird species become smaller and more vibrantly brown as their habitat becomes more humid. [2] Modern molecular phylogenetic studies have confirmed that the chestnut-backed chickadee is sister to the boreal chickadee. [3] [4] [5] More recent research regarding the population distribution of the chestnut-backed chickadee suggests that the genetic fragmentation of the chestnut-backed chickadee from the boreal chickadee was due to the changing glacial landscapes of the Pleistocene era. [6] After this species divergence, the chestnut-backed chickadee migrated south to inhabit the range described above.
There are three subspecies, with the flanks being grayer and less rufous further south: [7]
In addition to these three subspecies, research on the geographical range of chestnut-backed chickadees suggests that there are also four "genetically distinct" groups of chestnut-backed chickadee in North America. Including the populations in Alaska and Coastal North America, there are also separate populations inhabiting the Queen Charlotte islands and British Columbia. [6] In fact, the chestnut-backed chickadee is the only species of chickadee that resides on the British Columbia islands. [6]
It is found in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and western Canada, from southeastern Alaska to southwestern California. Its geographical range hugs the humid, foggy coasts. It is a permanent resident within its range, with some seasonal movements as feeding flocks move short distances in search of food. These chickadees usually move to lower elevations in the same area upon onset of winter and move back up to higher elevations in late summer. Its habitat is low elevation coniferous and mixed coniferous forests, consisting mainly of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western redcedar. [8] This environment provides plenty of shade and constant, cool temperature. [2] In fact, the abundance of Douglas fir trees can be a helpful indicator for the population of chestnut-backed chickadees in the region. [6] In the San Francisco Bay Area, this bird has readily adapted to suburban settings, prompting expansion farther inland.[ citation needed ]
It is a small chickadee, 11.5–12.5 cm (4.5–4.9 in) long with a weight of 8.5–12.6 g (0.30–0.44 oz). The head is dark blackish-brown with white cheeks, the mantle is bright rufous-brown, the wing feathers are dark gray with paler fringes. The underparts are white to pale grayish-white, with rufous or pale gray flanks. It is often considered the most vibrant of all chickadees. [9]
Chickadees are able to use nocturnal hypothermia to regulate energy expenditure, allowing them to survive harsh winters where other bird species not utilizing thermal regulation would not be able to. Some estimates put the energy conserved while using nocturnal hypothermia all the way up to 32%. [10]
Chestnut-backed chickadees feed largely on insects and other invertebrates gleaned from foliage (especially from that of the Douglas fir). They often move through the forest in mixed feeding flocks, and can be spotted in large groups with bushtits, warblers, red-breasted nuthatches, and kinglets. Chestnut-backed chickadees also eat seeds and plant matter, especially those of conifers, and fruit. It will visit bird feeders, including hummingbird feeders, and especially loves suet. [8]
Chestnut-backed chickadees mate monogamously, and can stay with the same partner for years. [8] These chickadees are cavity-nesters, preferring tree-stump holes and nest boxes, usually utilizing an abandoned woodpecker hole, but sometimes excavating on their own. During nesting season, the female chickadee will spend about a week building the nest on her own. She builds the under layers of the nest from moss and tree bark, with layer of fur on top. [8] Chestnut-backed chickadees use much fur and hair to make their nests. Their nests are actually 50% fur and hair. The most common hair they use comes from deer, rabbits, and coyotes. The adult chickadees also make a layer of fur about a centimeter thick which is used to cover the eggs on the nest whenever they leave the nest. The female lays 5–8 (sometimes 9) eggs per clutch, laying about one egg each morning. Weasels are the main predator risk posed to chestnut chickadee eggs. The incubation period is about two weeks, and the chicks fledge the nest about three weeks after hatching. [8]
The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute the Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur mainly in the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. Most were formerly classified in the genus Parus.
The marsh tit is a Eurasian passerine bird in the tit family Paridae and genus Poecile, closely related to the willow tit, Père David's and Songar tits. It is a small bird, around 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighing 12 g (0.42 oz), with a black crown and nape, pale cheeks, brown back and greyish-brown wings and tail. Between 8 and 11 subspecies are recognised. Its close resemblance to the willow tit can cause identification problems, especially in the United Kingdom where the local subspecies of the two are very similar: they were not recognised as separate species until 1897.
The coal tit, is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in forests throughout the temperate to subtropical Palearctic, including North Africa. The black-crested tit is now usually included in this species.
The willow tit is a passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and across the Palearctic. The plumage is grey-brown and off-white with a black cap and bib. It is more of a conifer specialist than the closely related marsh tit, which explains it breeding much further north. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate.
The black-capped chickadee is a small, nonmigratory, North American passerine bird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It is a member of the Paridae family, also known as tits. It has a distinct black cap on its head, a black bib underneath, and white cheeks. It has a white belly, buff sides, and grey wings, back, and tail. The bird is well known for its vocalizations, including its fee-bee call and its chick-a-dee-dee-dee call, from which it derives its name.
The Carolina chickadee is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.
The boreal chickadee is a small passerine songbird in the tit family Paridae. It is found in the boreal forests of Alaska, Canada and the northern United States and remains within this range all year. This bird is known for its high pitched trill patterns used in communication with other birds and food storage habits in preparation for winter months.
The gray-headed chickadee or Siberian tit, formerly Parus cinctus, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread resident breeder throughout subarctic Scandinavia and the northern Palearctic, and also into North America in Alaska and the far northwest of Canada. It is a conifer specialist. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate. Curiously, the bird has no gray on its head, which is black, white, and brown.
The mountain chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.
The Mexican chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is still often placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships. The American Ornithologists' Union had been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already.
The sombre tit is a member of the tit family found in southeast Europe and southwest Asia. Sombre tits occur in low density in thin woodlands at the elevation range between 1000 and 1600 metres above sea level.
The rufous-naped tit, also known as the black-breasted tit or dark-grey tit, is an Asian songbird species in the tit and chickadee family (Paridae). It was sometimes considered conspecific with the rufous-vented tit, and was formerly placed in the genus Parus.
The varied tit is a perching bird from the tit family, Paridae. It occurs in the eastern Palearctic in Japan, Korea, and locally in northeastern China and extreme southeastern Russia.
The rufous-vented tit is an Asian songbird species in the tit and chickadee family (Paridae). Some of its subspecies were formerly assigned to its western relative the rufous-naped tit, or these two were considered entirely conspecific.
The white-browed tit is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. It is endemic to the mountain forests of central China and Tibet.
Poecile is a genus of birds in the tit family Paridae. It contains 15 species, which are scattered across North America, Europe and Asia; the North American species are the chickadees. In the past, most authorities retained Poecile as a subgenus within the genus Parus, but treatment as a distinct genus, initiated by the American Ornithologists Union, is now widely accepted. This is supported by mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis.
The white-shouldered black tit, also known as the pale-eyed black tit, is a passerine bird in the tit family. It breeds in a belt across Africa from Senegal in the west to Kenya and Ethiopia in the east. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the more southerly white-winged black tit Melaniparus leucomelas and, like that species, it is mainly black with a white wing patch, but differs in that it has a pale eye.
The Caspian tit is a passerine bird in the tit family. It breeds in the deciduous mountain forests of northern Iran, just extending into Azerbaijan.
The chickadees are a group of North American birds in the family Paridae included in the genus Poecile. Species found in North America are referred to as chickadees; species found elsewhere in the world are called tits. They are small-sized birds overall, usually having the crown of the head and throat patch distinctly darker than the body. They are at least 6 to 14 centimeters in size.
Chester Barlow was an American cashier and amateur ornithologist who worked in California. He served as the secretary of the Cooper Ornithological Club and he encouraged others to publish in its bulletin on aspects of breeding of the local birds. He also served as the editor for the journals Oologist, The Nidiologist and The Condor.
