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Poecile carolinensis
Plate — illustration to come
Year-round residentNative · New Jersey

Carolina Chickadee

Poecile carolinensis

Paridae

The Black-capped Chickadee's slightly smaller southern cousin. Carolina Chickadees hold most of southern and central NJ; the two species overlap in the middle of the state and occasionally hybridize. They are the specific species behind the famous 6,000-caterpillar research — the birds most tightly tied to native tree caterpillar populations.

Identify by

How to spot one.

  • 4–5 inches — very small, roughly Black-capped size

  • Black cap and bib, white cheeks — nearly identical to Black-capped

  • Slightly smaller and cleaner-looking than Black-capped

  • Song is the fastest way to tell them apart (see Voice)

  • Slightly greyer wings, less white edging on flight feathers

Voice

What it sounds like.

Four-note whistled 'fee-bee, fee-bay' — faster and higher than the Black-capped's two-note version. Both species also call the classic 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee.'

Life & behavior

How it lives.

Nearly identical to Black-capped: cavity nesters, cache seeds, form mixed winter flocks, remarkably tame around humans. The species divide is roughly along I-78 in NJ, with hybrids common in the overlap zone.

At a glance

The spec sheet.

Status
Year-round resident
Size
3.9–4.7 inches
Present in NJ
Year-round
Native to NJ
Yes
Conservation status
stable
Family
Paridae
Diet

What it eats.

Diet often shifts dramatically between breeding season and the rest of the year — especially for insectivorous birds that pivot to native berries in fall and winter.

Summer / breeding season

  • Caterpillars (dominant nestling food)

  • Moths, beetles, aphids, spiders

  • Some berries and seeds

Fall / winter

  • Cached seeds and nuts

  • Insect eggs and pupae from bark

  • Weed seeds, berries

  • Suet and sunflower at feeders

Plants it uses

What it needs.

Native plants that feed this bird or provide shelter. Names in hydrangea link to the plant’s Field Guide entry.

  • Native oaks (Quercus)

    Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)

  • Wild black cherry

    Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)

  • American beech, native maples

    Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)

  • Serviceberry

    Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)

  • Highbush Blueberry

    Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)

Sources

Doug Tallamy research (Univ. of Delaware) · Audubon Field Guide · Birds and Blooms

More in this group

Other year-round residents.