Black-capped Chickadee Nesting (Complete Guide)

A brave and agile member of the tit family, the black-capped tit is common in tree-covered forest parks and backyards. Many are not afraid of human company, and some may even be hand-fed and eat nuts and seeds.

Our black-capped tit nesting guide explains where these songbirds with their distinctive black bibs like to raise their chicks, so read on if you want to learn more.

Black-capped tits are hollow nesters, laying their eggs in tree holes or branches that they have hollowed out. Small nest boxes are also sometimes used.

Rotting branches and rotting trunks and stumps provide suitable locations for the black-capped chickadee to get to work, digging out cork to form a chamber. The hole is then lined with bark, moss and down or feathers, which are fashioned into a small cup-shaped nest.

To learn more about the ideal location for these tiny, acrobatic forest dwellers to make a home and raise their young, read on.

Nesting black-capped tit poking its head out of a hole

nest location

Where do black-capped tits nest?

Tree cavities around the edges of mixed and deciduous forests are the most common nesting sites for black-capped tits. They look for rotting or decaying tree trunks and dig a hole in it.

The cavity is then lined with grass, moss and animal fur to create the nest structure. In the absence of suitable trees, black-capped tits will happily use small nest boxes.

Do black-capped tits nest in the same place every year?

It is very unusual for a black-capped tit to reuse a nest it has previously used. Nest boxes should be cleaned out at the end of the season to become a viable nesting option in subsequent years.

They may use a cavity that has been hollowed out by another bird, for example, a downy woodpecker, but tend to start over at the beginning of each breeding season.

A pair of black-capped tits were observed cleaning out the nest box, discarding all old nesting material through the entrance hole, and replacing it with new lining. This reduces the risk of passing disease or parasites to the chicks.

Are black-capped tits nesting in the backyard?

While their preferred habitat is on or around the edges of forests and wooded parks, black-capped tits are often lured to suburban backyards by bird feeders and nest boxes.

Black-capped tit nest

Do black-capped tits use nest boxes?

Black-headed chickadees often turn to nest boxes if there is no suitable natural site. Smaller sized boxes are preferred, and for the best chance of attracting nesting pairs, boxes should be placed 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 ft) above the ground.

The nest box entrance should be exactly 2.8 cm (1.125 in) as this will keep house sparrows and other larger potential predators or competition for food away. Nest boxes designed for black-capped tits do not require perch.

What tree do black tits nest in?

Black-capped tits typically choose alder and birch trees as nesting grounds, and pairs choose soft, rotting trees for their burrows.

How Tall Are Black-capped Tit Nests?

The black-capped tit’s natural nesting site is 1.2 to 4.5 meters (4 to 15 feet) above the ground. If you are considering using a nest box to attract tits, the optimal height is between 1 and 3 meters (3 and 10 feet).

Black-capped tits will use nest boxes when there is no suitable natural nesting cavity

Nest Appearance

What does a black-capped tit’s nest look like?

Black-capped tit nests are small hollows in tree trunks lined with round, cup-shaped nests formed of moss or bark and lined with a deep lining of soft fur and feathers.

Nest boxes are also commonly used, again lined with suitable nest material to form a circular base upon which eggs are laid.

How big are black tit nests?

The nest cavity of the black-capped tit is usually no larger than 21 cm (8.2 in). The internal dimensions of the burrow dug by the black-crowned tit are approximately 12.7 cm (5 in) deep by 6 cm (2.375 in) wide.

Parents take care of chicks inside the black-capped tit nest box

phenology

What time of year do black-capped tits nest?

Nest building begins in spring, with pairs forming early in the year or even the previous winter, before nesting sites are selected and construction begins. Eggs are laid between April and July. Even this year’s newest brood usually has chicks by early August.

How Long Do Black-capped Chickadees Build Nests?

Hatching of chickadee eggs takes an average of 11 to 14 days, although 16 days is not uncommon. Once the pups hatch, the male brings the insects to the nest of the female and pups. By 12 to 16 days, young chickadees are ready to develop their wings.

What month do black-headed tits lay eggs?

Southern chickadee populations nest earlier in the year than their northern counterparts. Spawning time is April to early June in the north and May to early July in the south.

Where do black-capped tits nest in winter?

During the harshest winter conditions, black-capped tits use abandoned tree cavities (or burrow themselves new, solitary ones) for shelter. Alternatively, they will roost alone in the dense branches of conifers where the dense vegetation provides some protection from freezing temperatures.

Black-capped tit and green worm nest

nest

How Do Black-capped Chickadees Build Nests?

Once a potential nesting site has been selected, the male and female titmouse dig a small hole in a decaying stump or trunk of a large tree. Several attempts may be initiated on the same trunk before a final decision is made.

They will peck at their chosen spot on a branch or trunk until a depression begins to form, and then carry any cork they have drilled through the tree away from that spot so as not to attract the attention of predators.

Once the cavity is about 21 cm (8.2 in) deep, bring the nesting material to the tree and add a base of bark and moss to the bottom, lined with rabbit fur and feathers.

What do black-capped tits use to build their nests?

Soft, rotting wood is dug from the stump or trunk to create a cavity, which is then filled with a bed of bark, moss, sawdust, grass, animal fur, and feathers, which the two birds gather to form a softer lining on which to lay their eggs.

Do male or female black-capped tits build nests?

Black-capped tits work in pairs to dig holes in tree trunks or stumps. Once the cavity is about 21 cm (8.2 in) deep, the male and female gather nesting material, which the female lays inside, and the female then begins laying about two days after the building is complete.

Black-capped chickadee nest building and cavity cleaning – sawdust in beak

Black-capped chickadee eggs

What do black-capped tit eggs look like?

The eggs are round and oval in shape and measure approximately 1.52 cm by 1.22 cm (0.60 in by 0.48 in). They are creamy white with brownish-red spots concentrated on the wider part of the egg.

How Many Eggs Do Black-capped Chickadees Lay?

Black-capped tits typically lay 6 to 8 eggs per clutch, but there have been reports of a clutch of as many as 13 eggs.

Do male black-capped tits sit on eggs?

Only the female black-capped tit will incubate the eggs. It is the highly attentive male’s responsibility to bring food to the den in response to the brooding female’s loud begging.

Nest with five black-capped tit eggs

fledgling and parental care

When do little black-headed tits leave the nest?

Young chickadees leave the nest 12 to 16 days after hatching. Female birds often provide food outside the nest cavity to encourage them to leave, thus prompting eclosion.

Parental care continues for several weeks once the young chickadees have developed their wings, although young chickadees quickly master the art of catching food on their own.

How many litters does a black-capped tit have?

It is normal for black-capped tits to breed only once per season. If one nest fails early in the season, a second litter can be attempted and raised successfully.

Black tit feeds fledgling chick

common problem

Do black-capped tits abandon their nests?

If disturbed by predators or the nest fails for other reasons, black-capped tits may abandon their burrow and start over elsewhere. Depending on how late the season is, Er Yu may or may not be successful.

Females are notorious for their fierce defense of the nest cavity, letting out loud hisses when they sense an intruder nearby.

Do black-capped tits nest on the ground?

The black-capped tit never nests on the ground, preferring to burrow in tree trunks or stumps at least a meter high.

Where do black tits nest at night?

Nesting females stay on their eggs or spend the night with their chicks in the nest cavity until their chicks develop wings. Outside of the breeding season, the birds more commonly roost in the dense upper branches of evergreen trees or in dense undergrowth.

In cold weather, tree hollows can be used as overnight roosts, one bird per hollow.

How to Attract a Nesting Black-capped Chickadee?

An aviary about 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) off the ground in a sunny location or in a tree with plenty of branch cover will provide ideal habitat for a pair of nesting tits.

A nearby feeder with sunflower seeds, raisins, or suet will attract black-headed chickadees, as will applying peanut butter directly to branches or trunks.