The grey-headed chickadee or Siberian tit 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.
Region
Subarctic Eurasia and Alaska
Typical Environment
Occurs from northern Scandinavia across the Siberian taiga to Far East Russia, and in North America in Alaska and the far northwest of Canada (Yukon and Northwest Territories). It is a conifer specialist, favoring mature spruce, larch, and fir forests near the boreal tree line. It also uses willow and birch thickets along river corridors and bog margins. Nests are placed in cavities, often in deadwood or old woodpecker holes, within intact, lichen-rich stands. Birds remain in the same general area through winter, concentrating in sheltered conifer stands.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Continental
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also known as the Siberian tit, this hardy chickadee inhabits some of the coldest forests on Earth. It caches food in bark crevices and under lichens to survive long winters. Pairs nest in natural cavities or old woodpecker holes, lining them with fur and feathers. Most populations are non-migratory and remain near their breeding territories year-round.
Poecile cinctus lapponicus - (MHNT)
Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Breeds in pairs that defend small territories, using cavities for nesting and lining them with soft materials. Outside the breeding season it forms small family parties and may join mixed-species flocks of tits and kinglets. It frequently caches food items and revisits them during periods of scarcity.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls are soft, scolding chick-a-dee-like notes mixed with nasal, buzzing phrases. The song is a quiet, clear series of whistles and trills, less emphatic than that of other chickadees.
Plumage
Soft, compact plumage with a grey head and nape, brownish back, and warm rufous flanks; whitish cheeks contrast with a darker throat bib. Wings and tail are grey-brown with pale edging, and underparts are pale buff to off-white.
Diet
In summer it gleans insects and spiders from needles, twigs, and bark, and will take larvae and pupae hidden in crevices. In autumn and winter it shifts to conifer seeds, berries, and cached invertebrates. It often stores food in bark fissures or under lichens, remembering cache sites for months.
Preferred Environment
Feeds mainly within conifer canopies and on trunks and larger branches, often among lichen-laden spruce and larch. It forages methodically, sometimes hanging upside down to reach concealed prey, and occasionally visits winter feeders in settled areas.
