How to tell the difference between Carolina & Black capped Chickadee? (1 Viewer)

[Marmot]

We have a new member today called Kimhh from W. Piedmont of Maryland
{Location is Lat. 39deg 29.17min North, Lon. 77deg 7.01min West. Elev. ~ 235m (770ft} to be exact.

Found his query on the database picture so here goes

"My area (North central Maryland, USA) is an area of overlap for the Carolina Chickadee & the Blackcapped Chickadee. The 2 species seem very similar. I would like tips on differentiating between the 2 species".

Can anyone help Kimhh with this.

 

[streatham]

Erm apart from vocalizations I have a feeling it's all a bit along the lines of Marsh and Willow Tit a few fairly difficult to interpret field marks if you have no experience with the birds: brightness of coverts, bib size etc. I think once you work out the vocalizations you know what your local birds are and then can rely on them being those years apart from the odd year that the BC Chickadee moves in which case you'd probably still mainly want to ID them on vocalization.

Luke

 

[halftwo]

Marmot,
Just to quote Sibley,
" Overall, Bl-capped is brighter, more colourful, and more contrastingly marked than Carolina; it is larger, fluffier, larger headed & longer tailed, with darker tail & wings that have brighter white edges. Its cheek patch is entirely white & has a greenish back & buffy flanks. Its call is slower than C."

H

 

[talon_dfa]

It is tough in the field...
Carolina's are smaller and the white patch on the wing is less conspicous...
There are also differences in song (and pitch of calls)...
Data from Maryland is used to separate birds in the hand (for banding).
See Pyle's "ID guide to NA birds"...
Birds are separated by wing & tail combinations...
To make things more difficult...
The little buggers hybridize.

 

[cavan wood]

This thread has inspired me to take a look at a few photos, but just when I thought I was getting the nack of telling them apart I ran into this photo.

http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/birds/images/multi_black_capped_chickadee.jpg

Which one do you folks think it is (ignoring the title that was place on it)?

Scott

 

[aleistra]

We have a new member today called Kimhh from W. Piedmont of Maryland
{Location is Lat. 39deg 29.17min North, Lon. 77deg 7.01min West. Elev. ~ 235m (770ft} to be exact.

Found his query on the database picture so here goes

"My area (North central Maryland, USA) is an area of overlap for the Carolina Chickadee & the Blackcapped Chickadee. The 2 species seem very similar. I would like tips on differentiating between the 2 species".

Can anyone help Kimhh with this.

This is a classic difficult problem, and I'd recommend Kimhh check out the relevant chapter in "Advanced Birding". While I'm familiar with both I haven't birded in the overlap region so I haven't had to separate them in the field myself, so these points are from that chapter.

1. Black-capped have more white on the edges of the greater coverts. (Both species have white in the secondaries).

2. Black-capped has a more ragged edge to the bib than Carolina, on average.

3. Black-capped averages slightly larger (though this should only be a supporting characteristic).

4. The songs are different, BUT are learned, and birds of either species have been observed singing the "wrong" song. ("Identify Yourself" relates an anecdote of a chickadee in the overlap zone responding to taped Black-capped songs with Black-capped songs, and then switching to Carolina songs when the researcher did the same!)

5. Hybridization is possible. Be wary and accept that you won't be able to identify every bird.

 

[B Lagopus]

Putting pictures with words is good for most people when talking about greater coverts edgings, and the Cornell site below does a nice job of illustrating that and discussing some of the other differences, including some not previously mentioned in this thread.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/chickadeeIDtable.htm

 

[Dave B Smith]

Here are two earlier ID threads from Jane's "sticky" index in the Bird ID sub-forum that may help:

Chickadees

and more on Chickadees

 

[KCMcgee]

This doesn't help with the specifics of your question. We, however, have 3 species of chickadees that can visit our feeders during the winter...Black Capped, Mountain and Boreal. We hear their unique vocalizations long before we see the little beasties. All three of these species will hang out together but there's no doubt 'who is who' by the calls. I agree with the above posters that learning the vocalization is the best source for an I.D. Fortunately chickadees are social birds and rarely stop chatting.

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Some thoughts from elsewhere in the overlap zone

I have to admit that in the summer, I tend to spearate them by geography, more so than anything.

Song is a pretty good identifier outside the overlap zone, because the odds of getting a hybrid or an overlap bird in a vagrant scenario are significantly less than getting a vagrant pure-bred bird. But in the overlap zone, it really is an "all bets are off" scenario on voice. As noted above, the songs are learned.

Studies have shown that many of the birds in that zone are hybrids of one degree or another.

Regarding size, BCC migrants from northern areas do tend to be larger than our local birds. They also tend to have more rufous on the flanks than our local birds.

I've also head that depending on the state of molt, the white on the scapulars (aka the blade of the hockey stick), may or may not be visible at certain times of year.

 

[lassa8]

Growing up in St. Louis, where Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees can both be found, I occasionally observed the same bird singing both songs. When I'm back home I don't even try to figure out which species I'm looking at (though even in St. Louis there are Black-capped strongholds and Carolina strongholds). The best way to tell the difference is to stay out of the hybrid zone!

 

[birdpotter]

Also living in Missouri for years, I really tried not to think too hard about it. It was always very difficult differentiating the two. But now that I am in upstate NY, every time I see a Black-capped Chickadee, I think, man, that bird is big and I've never seen that much white on the wings before (in comparison to all the chickadees I saw down south). I suggest moving away from the line. This will relieve unnecessary stress.

 

[hayley153]

learned songs

If I am hearing a Black-capped Chickadee song, doesn't that mean that Black-capped Chickadees are in the area? Otherwise, how would a Carolina Chickadee 'learn' the Black-capped's call? And why would a Carolina give out a Black-capped song unless in response to a 'real' Blacked-capped's song? So if I take it as a Black-capped, what harm does it do, even if the 'singer' was a Carolina Chickadee, it still proves Black-cappeds are in the area.

In other words, isn't just hearing a Black-capped Chickadee song sufficient evidence to conclude that Black-capped Chickadees are in the area? Otherwise, you have to show that you are hearing a Carolina who at one time heard a Black-capped but is now out of their range but decided to sing the Black-capped song anyway, sort of as nostalgia for his/her past wanderings?

The researcher played a tape of the other species which provided the necessary "lesson". If no tape were played, no 'alternate' song would be given.

NOTE: I live a few miles south of the hybrid zone.

 

[Tero]

In January, or Feb, I find my Black Capped in Wisconsin, just to be sure. I also look for siskins and redpolls at the same time. Only found them one winter.