Bird guide · Poecile carolinensis
Carolina Chickadee
What the Carolina chickadee eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 4.3 in (11 cm)
- Eats
- black oil sunflower, suet
- Feeds
- tube, hopper, suet cage
- Most common
- North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas
Food
What do Carolina chickadees eat?
At feeders, Carolina chickadees take black oil sunflower, suet.
Comes into yards for sunflower seeds and suet, often storing food to eat later.
Feeder that suits it
A tube or hopper feeder with sunflower seed or sunflower hearts.
Range
Where do Carolina chickadees live?
Southeastern United States. By share of all bird sightings, Carolina chickadees are most common in North Carolina (3.2%).
States where Carolina chickadees are most common
- North Carolina3.2%
- Tennessee3.2%
- Arkansas3.2%
- Georgia3.0%
- South Carolina2.9%
- Kentucky2.9%
- Virginia2.7%
- Oklahoma2.7%
- Alabama2.5%
- Louisiana2.3%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are Carolina chickadees, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the Carolina chickadee migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are Carolina chickadees, by month.
Identification
How to identify the Carolina chickadee
Adults: Black cap and bib, bright white cheeks, soft grey back and pale buff or grey flanks.
Size: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Nesting
Does the Carolina chickadee use nest boxes?
Yes. Nests in tree holes, sometimes in a nest box.
On camera
Getting the Carolina chickadee on a feeder camera
Any seed camera feeder works. Hang it near shrubs for cover, about five feet off the ground, with the lens facing away from direct sun.
Questions
Carolina Chickadee: questions
What do Carolina chickadees eat?
At feeders, black oil sunflower, suet.
Do Carolina chickadees migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Where do Carolina chickadees live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii.