Mountain Chickadee
Poecile gambeli
About This Species
Found year-round in coniferous forest at higher elevations across the western United States and Canada, it is distinguished from its lowland relatives by a bold white stripe over the eye. Active and acrobatic, it forages through pine needles in small flocks, often mixed with nuthatches and kinglets, and gives a hoarse, buzzy call distinct from the familiar chickadee-dee-dee. Winter is a reliable season to see it at feeders in mountain towns, when flocks range more widely in search of food.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- It is generally tolerant of people and will readily approach feeders, so a comfortable 5-10 metre distance is enough for good views without needing to offer food by hand.
- Native birds and nest cavities are protected under federal migratory bird law across its North American range, and nest holes in dead or dying trees should be left undisturbed.
- Allowing a foraging flock to move through at its own pace, rather than following it closely, keeps the encounter low-stress for the birds.
LCAvesPasseriformesParidae
Seasonal Activity
1,343,420 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
Photo
(c) Eric Rude, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eric Rude
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.