Art by Barry Kent MacKay
An All-Creatures.org
Art and Photo Presentation

(Artwork - 105)
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) and Black-capped Chickadee (P. atricapillus)

The upper figure in this simple study shows a Carolina Chickadee, a species of tit that occurs throughout a wide swath of eastern North America, from Texas in the south, north well into Ohio. It is not normally found as far north as here, in Ontario, but one was recently reliably seen and photographed at Point Pelee, the southernmost part of Ontario (and all of Canada, for that matter).

The lower figure is a Black-capped Chickadee, which is one of the most abundant bird species in Ontario. Indeed, it has a huge range, from Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south through much of continental U.S. They look so much alike that it may well be that some Carolina Chickadees arrive unnoticed in southern Ontario because they are mistaken for the common Black-capped. However, having seen lots of both species I think they are distinctive enough that if an experienced birder encounters a Carolina it will be recognized. Their ranges do overlap a little, and so to tell them apart remember that the Black-capped has quite a bit more white on the edges of many of the major wing feathers. The Black-capped is more “richly” coloured, with a slightly brighter pinkish-tan colour to the flanks. Also, their voices are a little different, the “chick-a-dee” call being given at a faster tempo and higher pitch by the Carolina.

This was done for the cover of a journal in which is published an account and photos of the first Carolina Chickadee for the province of Ontario. I am sure there will be more. It is approximately life-size and is in acrylics on compressed hardboard.

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