Cincinnati Ohio Black-Capped Chickadee or Carolina Chickadee (1 Viewer)

[JasonSprengard]

Hey all. I live in Cincinnati Ohio US. How do i tell the difference between a carolina chickadee and a black capped chickadee?

 

[steveo]

Here is what Cornell U. has to say about it. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/chickadeeIDtable.htm

 

[RJP]

The Cornell site the first reply referred you to is a good one, and as you can see, Cincinnatti is firmly in Carolina territory, so it shouldn't be a problem for you anywhere close to home.

I live close to the overlap zone in Indiana. Despite the fact that there are some field marks for trying to distinguish the two species, most of the knowledgeable birders I know around here discourage trying to separate them by sight only, especially as hybrids are known to occur.

 

[Gretchen]

Hmm... Didn't realize that Philadelphia was in the Carolina range (or maybe I forgot?). Those chickadees have certainly spread a good distance out of the Carolinas

 

[james holdsworth]

Learn the calls, they are quite distinctive and will solve your ID problems in most situations.