Poecile gambeli

The Mountain Chickadee is found in the mountains of southwest Canada and the western United States. They are most abundant in Oregon and northern California. (Evans, 1994; Paul, 2000)

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Resident in mountains from southeastern Alaska, British Columbia, and southwestern Alberta, south to northern Baja California, central and southeastern Arizona, southeastern and central New Mexico, and southwestern Texas.

The Mountain Chickadee has a short, round body, and on average is only 13 centimeters in length. It can be recognized by its black crown and throat, white cheeks, and distinctive white eyebrow. This white eyebrow, along with its pale gray sides, distinguish this species from other chickadees. The Mountain Chickadee also has grayish-white underparts and gray flanks. Males and females look alike. Rocky Mountain forms have buff on the back, sides and flanks, and have broader white eyebrows.

The Mountain Chickadee is well adapted for a cold environment. The soft down next to their skin provides insulation, and their outer contour feathers are tight and waterproof. (Scott, 1987; Harrison, 1983; Cassidy, 1990)

Average mass: 10.5 g.

Length: 13 cm

Weight: 12 grams

Systems

• Terrestrial

Poecile gambeli is found in mountain coniferous and mixed woodlands. During nesting season they live at elevations of three kilometers or more. In the fall and winter they migrate to lower elevations. (Terres,1980)

Terrestrial Biomes: taiga ; forest ; mountains

Comments: Montane coniferous forests (especially pine, spruce-fir, and pinyon-juniper) during the breeding season; at lower elevations in mixed (pine-oak) and riparian woodlands during the winter. Nests in a natural tree cavity, woodpecker hole, hole in the ground, or under a rock in a bank. Nest height usually is low, but may be up to 25 m.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

May move to lower elevations for winter.

Poecile gambeli spend nearly all their daylight hours feeding. They are omnivorous, with 70% of their diet coming from insects and 30% from plants. They eat mostly caterpillars, spiders, beetles, ants, sawflies, gypsy moths, plant lice and cicadas. The Mountain Chickadee has a sharp beak used for opening seeds and eating wild berries. They especially like bayberries and poison ivy berries. They frequently visit feeding stations, especially when they have young, and like sunflower seeds, suet and cracked corn. (Harrison, 1983)

Comments: Feeds on a variety of insect food. Forages in trees and shrubs; searches for food on twigs, foliage, and in bark crevices.

Mean territory size has been estimated at 1.5 ha; in White Mountains in Arizona, 71.5 breeding pairs/100 ha have been reported (Bureau of Land Management, no date). Less than 10 breeding pairs per 40 ha in northern Arizona; up to 11 pairs per 40 ha in thinned forest with added nest boxes (Brawn and Balda 1988). Territory size in southwestern Alberta averaged about 6-7 ha, overlapped with territories of black-capped chickadee (Hill and Lein 1989).

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 121 months.

Maximum longevity: 10.1 years (wild)

The breeding activity of the Mountain Chickadee occurs in the spring, from April to July. The female can lay from 6-12 eggs, but on average lays 8-9. She then sits on these eggs, which can be plain white or spotted with brown, for an incubation period of 14 days. During this time, her mate is always nearby to defend their territory and collects the food for both of them. Occasionally the female may leave the eggs to look for food herself, but covers them with the lining of the nest before she goes. She always spends the entire night on the eggs. When the eggs hatch, both parents work hard to bring a never-ending supply of food to the young. The offspring leave the nest after about 20 days. They will still be fed by their parents for a few weeks after they fledge, while gradually learning to feed themselves. The Mountain Chickadee has been recorded as living up to almost 8 years in the wild. (Harrison, 1983; Terres 1980)

Average time to hatching: 14 days.

Average eggs per season: 8.

Clutch size usually is 6-12. Incubation lasts 14 days. Young are tended by both parents, leave the nest in about 20 days. Possibly 2 broods annually.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 10 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 10
Specimens with Barcodes: 10
Species With Barcodes: 1

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Least Concern

The destruction of standing deadwood makes it difficult for these cavity-nesting birds to find breeding accomodations and nesting sites. However, the Mountain Chickadee has little current threat to its population. (Cassidy, 1990)

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: no special status

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Restoration Potential: See Mitchell (1988) for specifications for the construction and placement of nest boxes.

Mountain Chickadees are enjoyable to watch and frequently visit feeding stations. They are quite tame and can easily be taught to eat from your hand. They also help control insect populations. (Harrison, 1983)