The Boreal Chickadee is the north-woods counterpart of the familiar Black-capped Chickadee, and where the two overlap it is the scarcer, more retiring bird of dense conifers. It is easily told apart when seen well: a warm brown cap and brown flanks replace the black-capped's crisp black-and-gray, giving it a browner, dingier look, though it keeps the white cheeks and black bib. Its call is a slower, more nasal, wheezy version of the chickadee's, a drawling "chick-a-day-day" that sounds as if the bird has a cold.
A true boreal specialist, the Boreal Chickadee lives year-round in the spruce and fir forests and conifer bogs of the far north, reaching the southern edge of its range in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It caches seeds and insects to survive the harsh winters and forages high in the conifers, often in mixed flocks with Black-capped Chickadees, kinglets, and nuthatches. Quieter and less bold than its widespread cousin, it is a sought-after bird for those exploring the northern conifer forests of the state.
Feeds on insects, spiders, and their eggs gleaned from conifer foliage and bark, along with conifer seeds, and caches food to survive the long northern winter. It forages high in spruces and firs, often in mixed flocks, taking dormant insects and stored seeds in the cold months.
The Boreal Chickadee has a brown cap and brown flanks instead of the Black-capped's black cap and pale gray sides, giving it a browner, dingier look. Its call is also slower and more nasal, a wheezy "chick-a-day-day."
As a year-round resident of the spruce and fir forests and conifer bogs of the Upper Peninsula, at the southern edge of its boreal range. It does not occur in most of the Lower Peninsula.
Not especially. It is scarcer, quieter, and more retiring than the Black-capped Chickadee, keeping to dense conifers and often high in the trees. Patience in northern conifer forest, listening for its nasal call, is usually needed.
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