The mountain chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.
Region
Western North America
Typical Environment
Found from the Cascades and Sierra Nevada through the Rocky Mountains into the Great Basin ranges. Prefers coniferous forests dominated by pine, fir, and spruce, including mixed conifer and subalpine zones near treeline. Uses forest edges, open woodlands, and post-fire habitats with standing snags for nesting. In winter it frequents residential areas and feeders in mountain communities and will move downslope during severe weather.
Altitude Range
1200–3500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Mountain chickadees are easy to recognize by the bold white eyebrow that contrasts with their black cap and throat. They cache seeds and insects in bark crevices and can remember hundreds of hiding spots through the winter. Adapted to cold, they roost in cavities and endure harsh montane conditions. They readily visit backyard feeders in mountain towns.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick, darting flights between trees
Social Behavior
Typically forms small flocks, often joining mixed-species foraging groups in winter. Monogamous pairs nest in natural cavities or rotten snags, sometimes excavating their own. They cache food extensively and establish dominance hierarchies within flocks.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Calls are a buzzy, hoarse chick-a-dee-dee-dee and thin tsee-tsee notes. The song is a series of clear whistles or raspy phrases, higher and harsher than the black-capped chickadee.
Plumage
Soft gray upperparts with paler gray underparts and light buffy flanks; black cap and throat with bright white cheeks; distinct white supercilium; wings and tail gray with pale edging.
Diet
Eats insects and spiders in the breeding season, gleaned from needles, twigs, and bark. In fall and winter, shifts to seeds—especially conifer seeds—and occasionally berries. Regularly visits bird feeders for sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet. Stores food items in scattered caches for later retrieval.
Preferred Environment
Forages in conifer canopies and mid-level branches, along trunks, and among needle clusters. Frequently works the outer foliage and dead twigs, and will forage near human dwellings in mountain neighborhoods.
