The ONLY Chickadee Species Found in Florida!
What kinds of chickadees can you find in Florida?
Thanks to their bold and inquisitive personalities, chickadees are one of the most popular birds that visit backyard feeding stations. I love watching them fly in quickly to grab a seed and then immediately fly away to eat in private (or store for later)!
In Florida, you can find ONE type of chickadee.
To learn more about birds in Florida, check out these other guides:
The ONLY Chickadee That Lives in Florida:
#1. Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Chickadees are small birds with a distinctive black cap and bib, dull white cheeks, a gray back, and white underparts. Both males and females look the same.
Carolina Chickadee Range Map
Look for them in a wide variety of habitats across the southeast. You should be able to spot Carolina Chickadees in Florida in deciduous and mixed woodlands and swampy areas. They also adapt well to humans and are extremely common in parks and suburban and urban backyards!
Carolina Chickadees are easy to attract to feeders in Florida!
Like most chickadees, they are intensely curious and intelligent. Try attracting them to your backyard by offering a mixture of sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet. Because of their small size and acrobatic abilities, they can use almost every type of bird feeder.
In fact, once you set up a new bird feeder, they will likely be the first birds to visit, as they are curious about anything new in their territory. The best foods to use include sunflower, peanuts, and suet. Their small size and athletic ability mean these birds can use just about any type of feeder!
Another great way to attract chickadees in Florida is to install appropriately sized nesting boxes around your yard. These birds are cavity nesters, which means they need an enclosed bird house to raise their young.
Here are some tips to consider before hanging up a chickadee nesting box:
- Make the diameter of the entrance hole 1-1/8 inches. This prevents larger birds, like House Sparrows, from getting inside and displacing your chickadees.
- Place your nest box in or at the very edge of the woods. Chickadees won’t use it if it’s in a field.
- Hang the bird house securely to a tree (don’t let it swing freely) between 5 and 15 feet high.
Woodlink Chickadee Bird House View Cost - Amazon
You can either build a nest box yourself or buy a pre-made chickadee house online.
What sounds do Carolina Chickadees make?
Press PLAY above to hear a Carolina Chickadee!
The most common song you will hear them making is a four-note whistle, which sounds like “fee-bee-fee-bay.” Typically, the first and third notes are higher in pitch than the second and fourth.
They also have a call that sounds like they are saying their name “chick-a-dee-dee.” (Press PLAY Above!)
Which chickadees have you seen before in Florida?
Leave a comment below!
- RELATED: 8 Most Common Hummingbird Species in North America (ID Guide)
The range maps below were generously shared with permission from The Birds of The World, published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I use their site OFTEN to learn new information about birds!
