Life List 014
Visually documented
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
- First photographed
- July 17, 2026
- First location
- Fountain, Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
The encounter
Field journal
Although I first recorded the Black-capped Chickadee on my life list on January 4, 2026, I made my first photograph of the species on July 17, 2026. I was on a solo birding outing in Fountain, Colorado, when I noticed one perched near the top of a leafy bush. Its black cap and bib stood out among the bright summer foliage, giving me my first photograph of the species and officially completing the visual record for No. 014.
An evolving study
Black-capped Chickadee portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Poecile atricapillus
Overview
The Black-capped Chickadee is a small, energetic songbird known for its curiosity, social behavior, and distinctive calls. These chickadees move actively among branches while searching for food and frequently join mixed-species flocks outside the breeding season. They also cache individual food items for later retrieval.
Identification
Black-capped Chickadees have a black cap and throat, clean white cheeks, a gray back, gray wings edged with white, and pale underparts with buff-colored sides. Their short bills, relatively large heads, and long, narrow tails give them a compact and recognizable shape. Unlike the similar Mountain Chickadee, the Black-capped Chickadee does not have a white eyebrow stripe.
Range
Black-capped Chickadees occur across much of Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States, extending southward through portions of the Rocky Mountains. Most populations remain within the same general region throughout the year, although some birds make irregular seasonal movements.
Habitat
This species inhabits deciduous and mixed forests, woodland edges, willow thickets, cottonwood groves, parks, neighborhoods, and other places containing trees and dense shrubs. In the West, Black-capped Chickadees are often associated with lower-elevation deciduous and streamside vegetation.
Diet
Black-capped Chickadees eat insects, spiders, seeds, berries, and other plant material. Animal prey makes up much of their diet during the warmer months, while seeds and berries become increasingly important during winter. They readily visit feeders for sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, and mealworms.
Photography by Brittany Templin