Boreal Chickadee

After finding the Boreal Owl of the last post, Erika and I searched for Boreal Chickadees. These birds are restricted to the boreal forests of Canada and the northern-most United States (and, unlike the owl, not found south through the Rocky Mountains). Like other chickadees, the Boreal is territorial during the breeding season, but forms flocks when not breeding.

The species tends to be tame and will visit bird-feeders, such as within the Zak-Sim Bog in northern Minnesota, where we found this bird. During the winter, they consume seeds, fruits, and hibernating insects and/or their eggs and pupae. In the summer, they are opportunistic and omnivorous, seeking out insects and spiders, fruit and birch and conifer seeds (Ficken et al. 1996).