Bird of the day
Mountain chickadee
Poecile gambeli
The mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli) is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.
Adults of both sexes have a black cap joining a black postocular stripe behind distinctive white eyebrows. Their backs and flanks are gray and they have paler gray underparts; they have a short black bill, and a black bib. The typical adult wingspan is 7.5 in (19 cm), and the overall length is 5–6 in (13–15 cm). The Mountain Chickadee is one of 55 species of Chickadees and Tits. The mountain chickadee can be distinguished from other North American chickadees because mountain chickadees are marked with a white line through the side of their black cap, whereas all other North American chickadees have a solid black-cap. Another difference between the mountain chickadee and the 55 other species of chickadees is their location, range, and habitat.
Aliases
Poecile gambeli, Mountain chickadee, Parus gambelli
Data retrieved on October 15, 2025 at 5:54 AM