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Poecile carolinensis

(Audubon, 1834)

Carolina Chickadee

G5Secure Found in 50 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102434
Element CodeABPAW01020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyParidae
GenusPoecile
Synonyms
Parus carolinensisAudubon, 1834
Other Common Names
Carolina chickadee (EN) Mésange de Caroline (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly in genus Parus; transferred to Poecile by AOU (1997). See DeBenedictis (1987, Birding 19:42-45) for review of hybridization between P. carolinensis and P. atricapillus; the two taxa hybridize freely wherever they meet and easily could be regarded as conspecific.

MtDNA haplotypes of carolinensis divide into eastern and western sets that have diverged by 3%; this population structure may correspond to the Tombigbee River/Mobile Bay disjunction known in some other vertebrate taxa (Gill et al. 1993); the pattern of mtDNA variation does not correspond well with the named subspecies. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that North American chickadees comprise two clades, hudsonicus-rufescens-sclateri versus carolinensis-atricapillus-GAMBELI, and that carolinensis and atricapillus are not sister species (Gill et al. 1993). See Sheldon et al. (1992) for DNA-DNA hybridization evidence of phylogenetic relationships among major lineages of Parus.
Conservation Status
Review Date1996-12-02
Change Date1996-12-02
Range Extent Comments
Resident from southern Kansas east to central Indiana, southern Pennsylvania, and central New Jersey south to southern Texas, Gulf Coast, and northern peninsular Florida.
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

The amount of white on the outer edge of the greater coverts is the best character for distinguishing PARUS ATRICAPILLUS and P. CAROLINENSIS in the field, but birds in the contact zone may not be identified with certainty (Robbins 1989).

Habitat

Deciduous woodland, forest clearings and edge, swamps, thickets, second-growth woodland, parks, brushy areas, suburban areas. At night, especially in winter, roosts in cavities if available. Nests in cavity in tree or fence post, and in woodpecker holes and artificial cavities, including artificial snags (Grubb and Bronson 1995, Condor 97:1067-1070). Natural sites with decayed wood usually are excavated by birds themselves. Nests usually about 1-5 m above ground (Harrison 1978). See Mitchell (1988) for specifications for the construction and placement of nest boxes.

Ecology

Breeding density usually about 7-12 pairs/40 ha. Forms small flocks in nonbreeding season. In Illinois, predation was the greatest influence on nesting success (Condor 94:371-382). Use of bird feeders enhances winter survival.

Reproduction

Clutch size is 3-8 (commonly 6). Incubation, by female or by both sexes, lasts 11-14 days. Young are tended by both parents, leave nest at 13-17 days.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparralOld fieldSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
TennesseeS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
LouisianaS5Yes
MissouriSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
OhioS5Yes
District of ColumbiaS5Yes
ArkansasS5Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
FloridaS4Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
West VirginiaS5B,S5NYes
MarylandS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS4BYes
MississippiS5Yes
South CarolinaS5Yes
KansasS5Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
IllinoisS5Yes
TexasS5BYes
IndianaS4Yes
DelawareS5Yes
New JerseyS4B,S4NYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (50)
Arkansas (3)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Georgia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Indian Grave GapChattahoochee National Forest1,020
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
Rocky MountainChattahoochee National Forest4,269
Sarah's CreekChattahoochee National Forest6,888
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Swan Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest7,310
North Carolina (15)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Craggy MountainPisgah National Forest2,657
Dobson KnobPisgah National Forest6,111
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Lost CovePisgah National Forest5,944
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
SnowbirdNantahala National Forest8,489
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Wesser BaldNantahala National Forest4,061
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Tennessee (5)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
Rogers RidgeCherokee National Forest4,738
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Texas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Virginia (12)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Garden MountainJefferson National Forest3,960
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Shawvers Run AdditionJefferson National Forest1,927
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
The PriestGeorge Washington National Forest5,737
West Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
References (18)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Balda, R. P., and G. C. Bateman. 1971. Flocking and annual cycle of the piñon jay, <i>Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus</i>. Condor 73:287-302.
  4. Bent, A.C. 1946. Life histories of North American jays, crows, and titmice. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 191. Washington, D.C.
  5. Gill, F. B., A. M. Mostrom, and A. L. Mack. 1993. Speciation in North American chickadees: I. Patterns of mtDNA genetic divergence. Evolution 47:195-212.
  6. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  7. Harrison, H. H. 1979. A field guide to western birds' nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 279 pp.
  8. Horn, H. S. 1968. The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's Blackbird. Ecology 49:682-694.
  9. Ligon, J. D. 1971. Late summer-autumnal breeding of the piñon jay in New Mexico. Condor 73:147-153.
  10. Mitchell, W. A. 1988. Songbird nest boxes. Section 5.1.8, US Army Corps of Engineers Wildlife Resources Management Manual. Tech. Rep. EL-88-19. Waterways Expt. Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi. 48 pp.
  11. Moore, W. S., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1989. The use of banding recovery data to estimate dispersal rates and gene flow in avian species: case studies in the Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. Condor 91:242-253.
  12. Robbins, M. 1989. What's your name, my little chickadee? Birding 21:205-207.
  13. Sheldon, F. H., et al. 1992. DNA-DNA hybridization evidence of phylogenetic relationships among major lineages of PARUS. Auk 109:173-185.
  14. Tarvin, K. A., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (<i>Cyanocitta cristata</i>). No. 469 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  15. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  16. Thompson, F. R., III. 1994. Temporal and spatial patterns of breeding brown-headed cowbirds in the midwestern United States. Auk 111:979-990.
  17. Williams, L. 1952b. Breeding behavior of the Brewer blackbird. Condor 54:3-47.
  18. Willson, M. F. 1966. Breeding ecology of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Ecological Monographs 36:51-77.