Boreal Chickadee

A hardy resident of boreal spruce and fir forest across Canada and Alaska, this chickadee stays through the harshest winters, often joining mixed flocks with other chickadees and kinglets as they move through the canopy searching bark and needles for insects and cached seeds. Its call is a hoarse, buzzy version of the familiar chickadee note, distinct from the clearer calls of its more southerly relatives. Winter is actually a good time to look, since flocks are easier to track by sound in quiet, snow-covered forest, and birds will readily visit feeders near woodland edges.