What does the Black-capped Chickadee call sound like?

Poecile atricapillus

Call Common

Play the real Black-capped Chickadee call, the "chick-a-dee-dee-dee", and learn what to listen for.

“chick-a-dee-dee-dee”

What the Black-capped Chickadee call sounds like

A buzzy contact and alarm call with a chick-a opening and a variable string of dee notes. More dee notes often go with a more urgent threat.

“chick-a-dee-dee-dee”

Birders often file this one under Chick-a-dee call.

Call vs. song: telling the two apart

The same bird makes both. They sound nothing alike.

The call (this page)

A buzzy contact and alarm call with a chick-a opening and a variable string of dee notes. More dee notes often go with a more urgent threat.

“chick-a-dee-dee-dee”

The song

A clear, whistled two-note phrase, often rendered as "fee-bee" (or "hey, sweetie" in some mnemonic). The first note is high-pitched and the second is about a minor third lower, giving a forlorn, whistled sound. Males sing this in late winter and spring to advertise territory.

“fee-bee”

Where you'll hear it

Common in any habitat with trees or woody shrubs across its range. Found in deciduous and mixed forests, forest edges, groves, and also frequenting suburban yards, city parks, and orchards. Prefers areas with some cover; absent in open plains or high treeless alpine zones.

Black-capped Chickadee call FAQ

What does a Black-capped Chickadee call sound like?

A buzzy contact and alarm call with a chick-a opening and a variable string of dee notes. More dee notes often go with a more urgent threat. Birders write it as "chick-a-dee-dee-dee".

How do I tell a Black-capped Chickadee from a Carolina Chickadee by ear?

Carolina Chickadee: Carolina Chickadees average smaller and less buffy, but voice and location are often more useful than plumage where the species meet..

When is the best time to hear the Black-capped Chickadee call?

Forms winter flocks typically from late summer through early spring. These flocks (6-10 birds) often include other small birds (nuthatches, kinglets, downy woodpeckers, warblers) that associate with chickadees to find food and heed their alarm calls. In late winter, increasing daylight triggers males to start singing their fee-bee song.

More Black-capped Chickadee sounds

Black-capped Chickadee: the full species pageEvery sound we have, field marks, habitat and similar species.Black-capped Chickadee songThe full song, not the call.How to Identify Bird Sounds (By Ear & With Apps)Learning to identify bird sounds is how you stop letting those moments slip by. It is also one of the fastest ways to feel like birds are no longer random background noise but neighbors you actually recognize.How to Learn Bird Calls Fast: A 7-Day Spring PlanYou have seven days. You want seven birds. This is the plan: one new song per day, a mnemonic per bird, ten minutes you steal from your coffee break. Sunday-to-Sunday, you walk outside and a name lands in your head before you have time to think about it.