The friendly, sometimes inquisitive Chickadees, are with us all through the year. Ever active, they fly here and there searching for food, and giving their cheerful calls.

Bill: The tweezer-like bill of this little bird is very well adapted to the catching and eating of small insects and their eggs.

Habits: The Chickadees are never strangers to one who walks within sight or hearing of them. They fly very near and have even been known to perch upon the hand of different bird watchers who have sufficiently gained their confidence. The gray and black colors of these small balls of feathers match the tree trunks and branches upon which the Chickadees climb and hang in search of food.

Song: The Chickadee tells his own name when he sings. Ella G. Ives has said:

“Chickadee-dee-dee!” is the music that comes from this small gymnast of the branches. Sometimes a “Phoebe” call note is also given. It is quite simple to imitate this note by whistling. If you do it correctly the Chickadee may answer.

Nest: An old, hollow stump or fence post is often chosen by the Chickadee for a home. The nest within is built of moss, plant fibers, grasses, and feathers. From five to nine eggs are laid. They are of a white color spotted with a ruddy brown.

Ralph Waldo Emerson admired the Chickadee who braved the winter’s cold, and seemed so happy in the very coldest of weather. He wrote this about the little bird: