Bird guide · Poecile gambeli
Mountain Chickadee
What the mountain 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; some move to lower elevations in winter
- Size
- 5.1 in (13 cm)
- Eats
- seeds, suet
- Feeds
- tube, hopper, suet cage
- Most common
- Wyoming, Montana, Colorado
Food
What do mountain chickadees eat?
At feeders, mountain chickadees take seeds, suet.
Comes to feeders for seeds or suet, often with mixed flocks.
Feeder that suits it
A suet cage on a tree trunk or pole; peanuts and sunflower hearts work too.
Range
Where do mountain chickadees live?
Conifer forests of the higher western mountains. By share of all bird sightings, mountain chickadees are most common in Wyoming (1.5%).
States where mountain chickadees are most common
- Wyoming1.5%
- Montana1.1%
- Colorado1.0%
- New Mexico0.9%
- Nevada0.8%
- Idaho0.7%
- Utah0.6%
- Oregon0.4%
- Arizona0.2%
- California0.2%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are mountain chickadees, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the mountain chickadee migrate?
Year-round resident; some move to lower elevations in winter. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in July.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are mountain chickadees, by month.
Identification
How to identify the mountain chickadee
Adults: Black cap broken by a white eyebrow, black bib and grey body.
Size: 5.1 in (13 cm)
Nesting
Does the mountain chickadee use nest boxes?
Yes. Nests in tree holes; sometimes uses a nest box.
On camera
Getting the mountain chickadee on a feeder camera
Pick a camera feeder that takes a suet cage, or mount a separate camera next to a suet feeder on the trunk – woodpeckers cling to the bark while they feed.
Questions
Mountain Chickadee: questions
What do mountain chickadees eat?
At feeders, seeds, suet.
Do mountain chickadees migrate?
Year-round resident; some move to lower elevations in winter. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in July.
Where do mountain chickadees live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia.