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  Profile

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  In flight

Songbirds

Carolina Chickadee

Poecile carolinensis

• epic
• 72 km/h
• Least Concern

The southern cousin of the black-capped, indistinguishable except by accent. Picks pine seeds and gossip.

Population

~13 million mature individuals (Partners in Flight 2024 estimate, per BirdLife/IUCN factsheet)

Habitat

Mixed and deciduous forests, woodland edges, swamp forests, shrublands, parks, and suburban/urban areas with trees; frequents backyard feeders

Fun fact

Carolina Chickadees can drop into a controlled, overnight hypothermic state called torpor — lowering their body temperature and staying unresponsive for hours — to conserve energy on the coldest nights.

Range

Resident (non-migratory) breeding endemic to the southeastern United States, from New Jersey and Pennsylvania west to Kansas and south through the Gulf states to Florida and central Texas; largely absent from high-elevation Appalachian areas where it is replaced by the Black-capped Chickadee

Diet

Primarily insects and spiders (including caterpillars) during breeding season; seeds and berries especially in winter; readily takes sunflower seeds, peanut chips, and suet at feeders

Size

0.115 m

Wingspan

0.175 m

Lifespan

11 years