Poecile carolinensis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is largely found in the Southern United States. The Carolina chickadee was often 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. The American Ornithologists' Union has been treating Poecile as distinct genus since 1998. Although it and the black-capped chickadee most likely diverged about 2.5 million years ago, the birds still hybridize in the areas where their ranges overlap. The offspring of mated pairs of hybrid chickadees suffer from lower hatching success, and a male bias sex ratio, consistent with Haldane's rule.
Adults are 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in) long with a weight of 9–12 g (0.32–0.42 oz), and have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their underparts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is gray. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a moderately long tail. Very similar to the black-capped chickadee, the Carolina chickadee is distinguished by the slightly browner wing with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Carolina Chickadee sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 270th most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Carolina Chickadee in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Carolina 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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Carolina Chickadee sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 80%), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 70%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 60%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Carolina Chickadee is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
