Chickadees mate with Titmice - who knew?

                                                                                                                                                                                 Photo by BarrytheBirder

MBlack-capped ChickadeeM

Poecile atricapilla

It's true.   Chickadees mate with Tufted Titmice.   There are six species of Chickadees in North America and Black-capped Chickadees mate with Carolina Chickadees and Mountain Chickadees where their ranges overlap.   But Chickadees and the Tufted Titmouse?!?  Chickadees and titmice are known to flock together during fall migration and winter in the eastern United States, and the scientific literature supports claims of this interbreeding.   There is a picture on the Chipper Woods Bird Observatory website that  certainly looks like a chickadee/titmouse hybrid.   Go to www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/hybridtt.htm or just Google 'Hybrid Tufted Titmouse'.   In 20 years of birding, I've seen one Tufted Titmouse in my backyard.   I'm told if I was to head down to the Niagara Falls area I would have much better luck.   In the meantime, I will not be holding my breath while waiting to see a Chickadee/Titmouse hybrid but will enjoy every Chickadee that sweetly greets me each day.   And if a 'TT' shows up again, I will have my camera ready this time.
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BtheB