Montana Field Guide

The Mountain Chickadee is a small song bird. Average total length for the male is 128.4 mm and 122.8mm for females. Top of head (to just below eye) is black, forming a black "cap" on head; forehead and superciliary stripe white (distinguishing it from other North American chickadees); chin and throat black, forming a black "bib"; cheeks whitish; back, wings, and tail grayish, washed with olive to tan; breast and belly grayish white, black bill. ( McCallum, D. A., Grundel, R. and Dahlsten, D. The Birds of North America, No. 453, 1999).

Year round resident of montane coniferous forests of west North America, primarily in areas dominated by pine, spruce-fir and pinon juniper. Occurs in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. (McCallum, Grundel, Dahlsten 1999).

Insects during warm seasons augmented with spiders. Conifer seeds during cool seasons. (McCallum, Grundel, Dahlsten 1999).

Nesting begins in mid-June and lasts into late July. Near Fortine, the earliest eggs were noted on May 28 and the earliest young were out of the nest was June 17.