Black-capped Chickadee

The Black-capped Chickadee is Canada's friendliest backyard bird — bold, curious, and utterly fearless for its tiny size. With its distinctive black cap and bib, white cheeks, and cheerful 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee' call, it's one of the most recognizable birds in the country and a year-round resident from coast to coast. Chickadees have a remarkable ability to survive brutal Canadian winters by lowering their body temperature at night and relying on thousands of cached seeds hidden in bark crevices throughout the fall. They're often the very first bird to discover a new feeder, and once they find yours, they'll visit dozens of times a day — grabbing one seed at a time, darting to a branch to crack it open, and zipping right back for more.

Black-capped Chickadees are fearless, acrobatic feeders that adore sunflower chips, peanuts, and nut blends. Like titmice, they grab one seed at a time and cache extras in tree bark for later retrieval — their spatial memory is remarkable. They're often the first species to discover a new feeder and will quickly become your most reliable daily visitors year-round.

Tube feeders and small hopper feeders are ideal for chickadees. They're light and agile, so they handle swinging feeders and small perches with ease. Hang your feeder near mixed woodland or mature trees with rough bark where they can cache seeds. Chickadees are also enthusiastic suet visitors — a suet cage near your seed feeder creates a perfect chickadee station.

Chickadees nest in small cavities — dead trees, rotting birch stubs, and nest boxes are all used. A nest box with a 2.9cm (1⅛-inch) entrance hole placed 1.5-3 metres high on a tree is ideal. Keep dead trees and stumps standing when it's safe to do so, as chickadees often excavate their own nest cavities in soft, rotting wood. Birch trees are especially valuable — chickadees love foraging on birch bark, and rotting birch is their favourite nest excavation material. Dense evergreen cover nearby provides winter roosting shelter.