{"id":42,"date":"2015-11-01T10:30:27","date_gmt":"2015-11-01T10:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/studentblogs.viu.ca\/cbch\/?p=7"},"modified":"2017-08-23T17:31:52","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T17:31:52","slug":"getting-to-know-cbch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/2015\/11\/01\/getting-to-know-cbch\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to Know: CBCH"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens<\/em>), or CBCH*, is a lively and active resident of\u00a0the coniferous forests along the pacific coast of North America(1,2). It\u2019s bold black and white patterned head and brown back allow for\u00a0easy identification(3). It is commonly found foraging\u00a0in mixed-flocks high up in the canopy. This can make them hard to spot, but their iconic \u201cchick-a-dee\u201d call will let you know they\u2019re there. They do come down to feed off insects on the leafy undergrowth\u00a0and\u00a0are even commonly seen at bird feeders(1). This is one little bird to keep an eye out for.<\/p>\n

*CBCH is the alpha\u00a0code for Chestnut-backed Chickadee; each bird species has\u00a0it\u2019s own unique four letter code for quick communication among ornithologists(4).<\/p>\n

For Quick CBCH Identification:<\/p>\n

\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

A close up of the characteristic field marks of a Chestnut-backed Chickadee(5), courtesy of Vancouver Island University Bird Banding https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VIUBandingStation\/?fref=ts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

FIELD MARKS:(3)
\nSize: 4.75\u2033 long
\nWing span: 7.5\u2033
\nWeight:\u00a00.39oz (9.7g)
\n\u2013 black cap and chin
\n\u2013 white cheek patch
\n\u2013 reddish-brown back
\n\u2013 darker gray wings
\n\u2013 pale belly
\nWHERE TO LOOK:(1)
\n\u2013 Pacific North-West coast region
\n\u2013\u00a0dense and mixed coniferous forests
\n\u2013\u00a0around\u00a0deciduous\u00a0shrubbery
\n\u2013\u00a0together with\u00a0other\u00a0small foraging birds<\/p>\n

\n

\"DSC_0042_edit\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The characteristic chestnut-brown back of the CBCH (Chestnut-backed Chickadee) is what differentiates it from other chickadee species. Photo credit to Kimberley Wetten<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

General Information:<\/p>\n

Chestnut-backed\u00a0Chickadees tend to flock along with other species\u00a0of birds, but\u00a0their distinct markings will\u00a0allow you to easily pick them out of the crowd. Look for a bold white cheek patch sandwiched between a black cap and chin, with the small black eyes and bill almost unnoticeable. This facial pattern is characteristic of most North American chickadee species, but the CBCHs\u00a0distinct\u00a0chestnut-brown back is\u00a0the\u00a0definite giveaway(3). The brown allows them to blend in more with the dark\u00a0conifer trees of their home range(1).<\/p>\n

\n

\"poec_rufe_AllAm_map\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Range map of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (1). http:\/\/allaboutbirds.org\/guide\/Chestnut-backed_Chickadee\/id<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chestnut-backed Chickadees live along the west coast of Canada and northern parts of the USA. They live up high in\u00a0the\u00a0tops of dense coniferous forests and are usually heard before they are seen (1). Their husky, nasal chirping and\u00a0whistling is what gives their presence away(3). They\u2019re usually spotted in the lower deciduous shrubbery\u00a0where they\u00a0search\u00a0for insects (1).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click here to\u00a0see\u00a0some CBCHs in action and listen to their distinctive calls\u00a0(6):
\nChestnut-backed Chickadee<\/span><\/u><\/a>
\nVideo credit to Mark George, from YouTube.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\"IMG_2288_edit2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is a common species noticed at bird feeders. It has learned to adapt to urbanization and found some benefits to living around the human population. Photo credit to Stephanie Wetten.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

CBCHs\u00a0are primarily insectivores who use foliage gleaning techniques to find\u00a0their food. This means that they spend most of their day hopping from tree to tree checking the underside of leaves for hiding insects.\u00a0Chickadees\u00a0need to be\u00a0quick and agile to catch their prey. This\u00a0can involve some skilled acrobatics that often include things like hanging upside down!(2)\u00a0Even though insects are their primary diet,\u00a0Chestnut-backed Chickadees\u00a0are\u00a0commonly seen feeding\u00a0on black oil sunflower seeds in bird feeders. This is one species of bird that has adapted to reap\u00a0some benefits from human urbanization(1).<\/p>\n

Chestnut-backed Chickadees\u00a0are\u00a0hardly ever found alone;\u00a0these\u00a0extremely social birds\u00a0like to be part of a flock, whether it\u2019s with other birds\u00a0of their own species or not. Many\u00a0join into\u00a0mixed-foraging flocks, which are groups of several species\u00a0searching together for food (1).\u00a0A couple\u00a0other species that are commonly\u00a0seen in\u00a0these flocks are the\u00a0Golden-crowned Kinglet\u00a0and the Red-breasted Nuthatch (shown below). Although they forage alongside these other species, their reddish-brown back combined with their other characteristic markings will make identification a whole lot easier.<\/p>\n

\n

\"rbnh_for_cbch_blog\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a common member of mixed-foraging flocks along with Chestnut-backed Chickadees (CBCH). Although they both have bold black and white heads, the striking blue back and orange belly are definitive characteristics that this bird is not a CBCH. Photo credit to Stephanie Wetten.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"DSC_0475_edit\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Golden-crowned Kinglet has a bright yellow patch on top if it\u2019s head, and a fairly uniform pale brown body. These characteristics make it unique from the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and easy to distinguish when they are both foraging together. Photo credit to Stephanie Wetten.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some Other\u00a0Interesting CBCH\u00a0Facts:<\/p>\n

\u2013 Chestnut-backed Chickadees are the only chickadee species commonly found on Vancouver Island(3)
\n\u2013 The oldest\u00a0recorded Chestnut-backed Chickadee\u00a0was 9 years and 6 months old(1)
\n\u2013 The CBCH uses fur\u00a0from other local animal to line it\u2019s nest(1)
\n\u2013 The\u00a0Chestnut-backed Chickadee does not migrate, it only makes seasonal jumps in elevation heading farther up into the mountains for summer and back down towards sea-level for winter(1)
\n\u2013\u00a0 In 1994, CBCH successfully invaded San Francisco after conservation of oak woodlands with new introduction of pine tree; this allowed\u00a0their range to extend a little farther south(2)
\n\u2013 In 1975 the first nesting pair of\u00a0Chestnut-backed Chickadees was\u00a0found\u00a0in Montana; this is the farthest point\u00a0inland that they range(7)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

-Stephanie Wetten
\nVIU Ornithology 2015<\/p>\n

\n

References:
\n1. Cornell University. All about birds: Chestnut-backed chickadee [Internet]. Ithaca (NY): Cornell Lab of Ornithology; 2015 [cited 2015 Oct. 25] Available from http:\/\/allaboutbirds.org\/guide\/Chestnut-backed_Chickadee\/id
\n2. Kleintjes, P.K., Dahlsten, D.L. 1994. Foraging behaviour and nestling diet of chestnut-backed chickadees in Monterey pine. The Condor. 96:3, 647-653.<\/em>
\n3. Sibley, D.A. 2003.Chestnut-backed chickadee. In: The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America.<\/em> Alfred A. Knopf, NY, p 321
\n4. Standardized 4- and 6- letter bird species codes [Internet]. Point Reyes Station (CA): Institute for Bird Populations; 2015 [cited 2015 Oct 31] Available from http:\/\/www.birdpop.org\/pages\/birdSpeciesCodes.php
\n5. VIU Bird Banding Station [Internet]. Nanaimo (BC): Vancouver Island University Bird Banding; 2015 Sept [cited 2015 Oct. 27] Available from https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VIUBandingStation\/photos\/
\n6.\u00a0George, M. Chestnut-backed chickadee (Poecile rufescens) [Interet]. YouTube; 2013 Mar [cited 2015\u00a0Oct. 31] Available from https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lV6KcDsAYwE
\n7. McClelland, R.B. 1976. First verified nest of chestnut-backed chickadee in Montana. The Murrelet<\/em>. 57:1, 18.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens), or CBCH*, is a lively and active resident of the coniferous forests along the pacific coast of North America(1,2). It’s bold black and white patterned head and brown back allow for easy identification(3). It is commonly found … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":295,"featured_media":167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[31,32,33,15,34,35],"class_list":["post-42","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stephanie","tag-biol-325","tag-chestnut-backed","tag-chickadee","tag-uncategorized","tag-viu-ornithology","tag-wetten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42\/revisions\/168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}