Songs
Chestnut-backed Chickadees don’t have the clear-whistled fee-bee song that most other chickadees use. Instead it has a song, given rarely, that consists of a series of “gargle” calls.
Calls
- Tsee-dee; see
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
- Chicka-dee and seet calls
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
California May 2001
- Gargle and seet calls
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
California May 2001
- Husky chicka-dee call
Recorded by Thomas G. Sander
California July 1987
- High-pitched see notes
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
Oregon May 1989
- High wheezy calls
Recorded by Charles A. Sutherland
California July 1961
Courtesy of Macaulay Library
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The main call of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee is a high, thin, scratchy chick-a-dee, 1-1.5 seconds long. The number of dee notes is variable, but typically fewer than in the Black-capped Chickadee’s call. The Chestnut-backed Chickadee’s other common call is the gargle, a jumble of short clicks often dropping in pitch and ending on a longer note. The whole call lasts about a second. It’s typically used to defend territories or to signal aggression by birds in a flock.
Backyard Tips
Set up bird feeders in your backyard with black oil sunflower seed, suet or other mixed seeds. If Chestnut-backed Chickadees inhabit your area, setting up nest boxes might entice them to nest on your property.
Find This Bird
Look for Chestnut-backed Chickadees high in the branches of coastal conifers, or lower down in shrubs around yards and park borders. When searching for Chestnut-backed Chickadees in winter, listen for its conspicuous chick-a-dee and other call notes, a great way to find this bird and the several other species that habitually forage with them.