Chickadees eat a variety of foods including insect eggs, ants, beetles, aphids, millipedes, snails and other small creatures. They also eat seeds of conifers, goldenrod, ragweed, and wild fruit. Chickadees will also eat cornmeal, sunflower seeds, suet, pumpkin seeds and peanut butter.
Chickadees prefer to live in mixed hardwood coniferous forests. They also reside in small woodlands and shrubs by residential areas.
Both the male and female have similar plumage. These birds have light gray backs and tails, white bellies and cheeks. They have black feathers on their heads and that explains why they are called Black capped.
Many of the young chickadees do not make it past their first year. Of those that do, they have been known to live up to 6-12 years.
Chickadees survive our freezing weather by storing food they can use later in the season. They can remember where they stored seeds for up to eight months, which is more than enough time to get them through the winter. They also survive the winter by lowering their body temperatures at night, entering a state of controlled hypothermia. In essence , they slow the blood flowing to the parts of their bodies they don't use while they are sleeping. This helps them save much needed energy.
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