Meet Alaska's Boreal Chickadee

Alaska's Boreal Chickadee's are among the smallest of birds that populate the state. They can be found where alder, willow and spruce groves are plentiful. These tiny birds (4.7"-5.5") tough out the harsh Alaskan winters and are found nesting around the majority of the state. 

Boreal chickadee's can be distinguished from their many cousins by their brown capped head, (most chickadee's have a black cap) grey collar, and black throat. These birds are great at foraging and store food in a hidden cache to survive the winter. 

These birds take advantage of their surroundings and prefer holes in trees for nesting sites and pad the nest with the usual moss, twigs, fur, and feathers. They lay anywhere from one to nine eggs. The hatchlings typically stay with the parent birds for about a month before fully venturing out on their own. 

Fun Boreal Chickadee fact: These little birds are such good "cachers" that they have been known to remember hundreds of hiding places. 

Also in Cache Corner