Chestnut-backed Chickadees
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The Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Parus rufescens, is found in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and western Canada -- southern Alaska to central California. It is a permanent resident within its range. Its habitat is low elevation coniferous and mixed coniferous/deciduous forests. It is a cavity-nester, usually utilizing an abandoned woodpecker hole, but sometimes excavating on its own. It lays 5-8 (sometimes 9) eggs per clutch. Its food is largely insects and other invertebrates gleaned from foliage. Chestnut-backed Chickadees take some seeds, especially those of conifers, and fruit.
Interesting Chestnut-backed Chickadee Facts
Although chestnut-backed chickadees are non-migratory they sometimes fly short distances in winter when their food supply gets low. They usually move to lower elevations in the same area when winter starts and move back up to higher elevations in late summer.
Chestnut-backed chickadees use lots of fur and hair to make their nests. Their nests are actually 50% fur and hair. The most common hair they use comes from deer, rabbits, and coyotes. The adult chickadees also make a layer of fur about a centimeter thick which is used to cover the eggs on the nest whenever they leave the nest.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
Related Web Resources: Chestnut-backed Chickadee Study, April-May 1997 (Tiny relative of the more common Black-capped Chickadee) ... USGS ... Greennature.com
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