The chickadee

📖 In short

The chickadee, or tit, is a small songbird we see hopping between tree branches, chirping busily. There are more than 50 kinds of chickadees and tits, and many have white cheeks, a black head like a cap and a short, strong beak.

🤩 Did you know?

The sultan tit is one of the biggest tits: it's 20 centimeters long with a yellow crest on its head.
A female chickadee may lay 8 eggs or more at a time.
A chickadee needs to eat a lot in winter to keep its small body warm.
Chickadees call to each other to warn of cats and birds of prey.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 The tree acrobat

The chickadee is light and nimble, clinging to thin twigs and hanging upside down to catch insects and grubs hiding under the leaves.

🔍 Its food

Chickadees eat insects and spiders in spring and summer, and seeds and grain in winter. A chickadee holds a seed in its feet and pecks it to crack the shell.

💡 A nest in a hole

A chickadee builds its nest inside a hole in a tree trunk or a crack in a wall, lines it with moss, feathers and soft hair, and lays lots of small eggs in it.

🎯 The garden's friend

Chickadees love visiting gardens, and if you leave out some seeds and water in winter, one will come every day. And it helps the garden by eating insects that harm plants.