| Small gray or brown bird with short, thin bill; long tail; dark cap and chin
Boreal chickadees need mature boreal forests with conifer trees. Black-capped chickadees use broadleaf or mixed forests. Chestnut-backed chickadees use old-growth coastal forests.
Insects from leaves, bark, or branches (thrips, moths, butterflies, lacewings, flies, spiders); also seeds and berries
Small hawks, owls, shrikes
Chickadees can put on 8 percent of their body weight in fat each day. Each winter day, chickadees go through the same cycle: eat and put on fat in the short daylight, then burn up fat to keep warm through the long night.
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