Mountain Chickadee
Poecile gambeli
Summary 7
The Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union has been treating Poecile as a distinct genus for some time.
Distribution 8
The Mountain Chickadee is found in the mountains of southwest Canada and the western United States. They are most abundant in Oregon and northern California. (Evans, 1994; Paul, 2000)
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Morphology 9
The Mountain Chickadee has a short, round body, and on average is only 13 centimeters in length. It can be recognized by its black crown and throat, white cheeks, and distinctive white eyebrow. This white eyebrow, along with its pale gray sides, distinguish this species from other chickadees. The Mountain Chickadee also has grayish-white underparts and gray flanks. Males and females look alike. Rocky Mountain forms have buff on the back, sides and flanks, and have broader white eyebrows.
The Mountain Chickadee is well adapted for a cold environment. The soft down next to their skin provides insulation, and their outer contour feathers are tight and waterproof. (Scott, 1987; Harrison, 1983; Cassidy, 1990)
Average mass: 10.5 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Habitat 10
Poecile gambeli is found in mountain coniferous and mixed woodlands. During nesting season they live at elevations of three kilometers or more. In the fall and winter they migrate to lower elevations. (Terres,1980)
Terrestrial Biomes: taiga ; forest ; mountains
Migration 11
Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.
Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
May move to lower elevations for winter.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7457894@N04/2224252139
- (c) Mark Rosenstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2642/4100916950_af9544ee09_o.jpg
- (c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8520/8598884560_abe8f19594_o.jpg
- (c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8051/8435006579_52beb96e46_o.jpg
- (c) Belinda Lo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Belinda Lo
- (c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8092/8572540192_5db4658aa7_o.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecile_gambeli
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31413387
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31413389
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31413388
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28814307
