Carolina Chickadee vs Black-capped Chickadee: What Are The Differences?

Titmouse includes about 13 species of North American birds in the genus best tit family psittacidae. These small, approachable birds are common and encountered in the wild in the eastern United States. However, despite looking so similar, DNA records show that these birds diverged about 2.5 million years ago! Here, we’ll tackle the challenge of distinguishing the black-capped tit from the Carolina tit.

First, the black-capped chickadee, by far the most common of the two birds, has a wider range, covering nearly the entirety of the United States and southern Canada, but also in Alaska. In contrast, the Carolina tit is relatively confined to the southeastern United States. The two birds converge along a wide swath from New Jersey to Kansas.

In appearance, the black-crowned tit is slightly larger than the Carolina tit. The black-crested tit also has more contrasting plumage, including paler breasts and the underside of the body.

To further confuse these birds, they often interbreed in the areas where they meet, especially as black-capped tits push south during migration farther than they would normally do. Hybrid black-capped tits and Carolina tits are barely recognizable.

Read on to learn more about how to identify these two very similar-looking birds!

carolina tit (carolina fish)

black tit (Chinese cabbage)

Which is bigger, the Carolina tit or the black tit?

Black-capped tits are slightly larger than Carolina tits, but size varies between species, with northern populations of black-capped tits generally being larger than southern populations.

black tit measurement

The black-capped tit is 12 to 15 centimeters (4.7 to 5.9 inches) long and has a wingspan of 16 to 21 centimeters (6.3-8.3 inches). It weighs about 9 to 14 grams.

Carolina tit measurements

The Carolina tit is about 11.5 to 13 centimeters (4.5 to 5.1 inches) long and has a wingspan of 15 to 20 centimeters (5.9 to 7.9 inches). It weighs about 9 to 12 grams.

Close-up of a perching Carolina tit

Which is more common, Carolina Chickadees or Black-capped Chickadees?

The black-capped tit is extremely common, with a population of about 40 million individuals. They are mainly concentrated in the northern and northwestern United States, but can be found in nearly every state in the central and northern United States and most of southern Canada.

Carolina tits are less common and have a narrower range; they live from New Jersey to Kansas and south to Florida and Texas. They are also the more sedentary of the two birds, so while the black-capped tits migrate and disperse within their range, the Carolina tits tend to stick to their narrower range.

Additionally, the black-capped tit is more hardy and comfortable at high altitudes, which means that the black-capped and Carolina tits may be somewhat separated even where the Appalachian mountains meet.

Close-up of a perched black-capped tit

Other Differences Between Carolina Chickadee and Black-capped Chickadee

feather

Black-capped tits generally have more contrasting plumage. Some of their wing feathers have white tips that are more distinct than those of the Carolina tit. The difference is subtle and only applies to fresh adult feathers.

In general, the plumage of the black-crested tit is bolder and more saturated. Their backs may have a dark green tinge that Carolina tits don’t have. In late spring, when the plumage of both the black-capped and the Carolina tits has faded, these differences become less noticeable.

Face

Both tits have black caps and bibs with white cheeks. Likewise, the black-capped tit has greater contrast, while the Carolina tit has cheeks that fade in black. The Carolina tit has a relatively straight line at the junction of the throat and thorax, while the black-crowned tit has an uneven line, but it can be a useful little spot to look for.

Carolina Chickadee Eating Bird Seeds

call and voice

The typical song of the black-capped tit is shorter, usually consisting of only two or three syllables watch bees or hell. this look The pitch is much higher.Instead, the Carolina tit has a four-syllable song that sounds like look at the bees look at the bay. Here, the first and third syllables have the highest pitch. The black-capped tit also has a lower and fuller voice than the Carolina tit.

However, where the black-capped and Carolina tits meet, they can learn each other’s songs, rendering this form of identification useless! For example, most Carolina tits sing the black-crested tit in Pennsylvania, and about 60 percent of the tits sing both the black-crested and the Carolina tit. This mixing of songs causes chickadees to sing strange combinations of each other’s songs, leading to increased interbreeding.

Behavior

The black-capped tit is the braver, bolder, and more approachable of the two birds. They will happily roam within a few feet of people, especially when they are feeding. Carolina tits, on the other hand, are more shy and tend to confine themselves to deciduous forest habitats.

black-capped tit foraging

Female Carolina Chickadee vs Female Black-capped Chickadee

Visual differences between male and female Carolina and black-crowned tits were minimal in the two species. Some male black-capped tits may have brighter cheeks and bibs than females, especially during breeding season, but this is far from certain.

However, there are some key behaviors to consider. First, females typically build nests for both species. They also engage in what is known as “court feeding” and beg for food from males. After laying eggs, the females hatch them, while the males guard and defend the territory.Territorial males sing slightly differently from their typical songs, often involving syllables fee bee.

Carolina tit perched on a branch

Are Carolina tits and black tits hybrids?

Carolina and Black-capped tits aren’t particularly related, but they do often interbreed where populations congregate. In the Appalachian Mountains, for example, black-capped tits breed at higher elevations but may descend to feed, when they come into contact with Carolina tits.

Black-capped tits typically migrate south during the winter, so contact during the breeding season itself is likely to be short-lived for most populations. In the panhandle between Kansas and New Jersey, however, there are year-round connections.

Identifying hybrids is an exceptionally difficult task. So one of the main giveaways is the hybrid song, which is a little different from the Carolina or black-crowned tit song.