Chestnut-backed Chickadee - BirdForum Opus

Nominate subspecies
Photo © by janruss
Edmonds, Washington, USA, 17 January 2007

Poecile rufescens

Identification

Subspecies P. r. barlowi
Photo © by Joseph Morlan
Pacifica, California, USA, 13 April 2020

(3.9-4.7 in) 11.5–12.5 cm

• Chestnut back, sides, flanks, and rump
• Pale grey white underparts
• Dark blackish-brown cap
• Black bib
• White cheeks
• White belly
  

Sexes and juveniles alike

Variations

Southern populations have reduced rufous color on their flanks.

Distribution

Coastal pacific states from central California north to Alaska. Also found in Idaho and western Montana.

Taxonomy

Subspecies P. r. barlowi in flight
Photo © by Joseph Morlan
Pacifica, California, USA, 29 April 2020

Subspecies^[1]

This is a polytypic species consisting of three subspecies:

• P. r. rufescens:

• Alaska to coastal central California and Sierra Nevada of northern California

• P. r. neglectus:

• Coastal California (south-western Marin County)

• P. r. barlowi:

• Coastal southern California (San Francisco Bay to Santa Barbara Co.)

Habitat

Found in coniferous forests, especially of Douglas fir, and mixed and deciduous woodlands. Visits backyard feeders.

Behaviour

Breeding

It nests in cavities, using fur and hair from deer, rabbits or coyotes. The clutch consists of 5-8 eggs.

Diet

The diet includes insects, invertebrates, conifer seeds and fruit.

Vocalisation

Like its close relative, the Boreal Chickadee, this species lacks a whistled song. Main call is a rapid-fire complex "chick-a-dee."

Movements

Mostly resident

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Wikipedia contributors. (2020, April 17). Chestnut-backed chickadee. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:09, April 22, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chestnut-backed_chickadee&oldid=951471721
3. BirdForum Member observations
4. Dahlsten, D. L., L. A. Brennan, D. A. McCallum, and S. L. Gaunt (2020). Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.chbchi.01
5. Gosler, A. & Clement, P. (2020). Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/59869 on 22 April 2020).

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chestnut-backed Chickadee. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-backed_Chickadee

External Links

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