Poecile hudsonicus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus) is a small passerine songbird in the tit family Paridae. It is found in the boreal forests of Alaska, Canada and the northern United States and remains within this range all year. This bird is known for its high pitched trill patterns used in communication with other birds and food storage habits in preparation for winter months.
Adults are 12.5–14.5 cm (4.9–5.7 in) long with a weight of 7–12.4 g (0.25–0.44 oz). They have grey-brown upperparts with a brown cap and greyish wings and tail; their face is mainly grey with white on the sides. Their underparts are white with brown on the flanks and a black throat. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a long notched tail. Their flight consists of brief gliding patterns followed by fast and bouncy wing beats as they travel through the air.
The call is a husky tsee-day-day, as well as a high pitched trill sound, dididididididi a variant on the call which gives chickadees their name. This call is composed of five distinct note-type categories consisting of A, B, C, D and D-hybrid with the beginning and end note both displaying a high frequency pitch... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Boreal Chickadee sighting in Calgary on a given day, based on 1,309 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 94th most-seen of the 259 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Boreal Chickadee in Calgary on a given day, against under 5% in April to September, the lowest months. Those are among Calgary's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 120 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Boreal Chickadee sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Boreal Chickadee sightings, Calgary ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Poecile
The closest relatives of the Boreal Chickadee that you can see in Calgary (genus Poecile, Chickadees and Allies) are Black-capped Chickadee (about 90%) and Mountain Chickadee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Boreal Chickadee is recorded against all the birds logged in Calgary (1,309 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
