Note white secondaries and wing coverts forming a white “hockey stick”–one of the key marks for distinguishing Black-capped from Carolina and hybrid chickadees.
Black-capped Chickadee (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015
Area: Historically, all chickadees in northern Hunterdon County have been considered Black-capped Chickadees, but recently it seems that most of them may actually be Black-capped x Carolina Chickadee hybrids. In the winter time, a few northern birds that are more obviously Black-capped Chickadees are seen with the local chickadees.
Yard: Fairly common–though most chickadees are thought to be hybrids and birds that are more obviously Black-capped Chickadees are usually only seen in the winter.
Audio:
Typical Black-capped Chickadee song type (1 Jan 2015). Birds learn the song, and hybrids seem to prefer this song, so not reliable for separating pure Black-capped Chickadees from hybrid Black-Capped x Carolina Chickadee.
