Chestnut-backed Chickadee look-alikes
Poecile rufescens
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Open the appSeveral birds can be mistaken for the Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Compare the key differences below to confirm your sighting.
Birds to compare
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Key differences
The Black-capped Chickadee lacks the chestnut-brown back and flanks, having a gray back and whitish flanks. Its call is typically a clearer, slower 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee' and its song is a distinct, whistled 'fee-bee' or 'fee-bee-bee'.
Mountain Chickadee
Poecile gambeli
Key differences
The Mountain Chickadee has a gray back and flanks, similar to the Black-capped, but is distinguished by a prominent white supercilium (eyebrow stripe) above its eye, which the Chestnut-backed lacks. Its call is a raspy 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee' and its song is a whistled 'fee-bee-bee-bee'.
Boreal Chickadee
Poecile hudsonicus
Key differences
The Boreal Chickadee has a brown cap (not black), a brown back, and rusty flanks, but its flanks are not as rich chestnut as the Chestnut-backed. It also has a less defined white cheek patch and a more northern, boreal forest distribution. Its call is a nasal 'tsee-day-day'.
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