Mountain Chickadee
Poecile gambeli
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyParidae (Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice)
- GenusPoecile (Chickadees and Allies)
- SpeciesPoecile gambeli (Mountain Chickadee)
About the Mountain Chickadee
The mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli) is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The specific name honors naturalist William Gambel. The mountain chickadee was formerly placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the mountain chickadee is sister to the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus).
Adults of both sexes have a black cap joining a black postocular stripe behind distinctive white eyebrows. Their backs and flanks are gray and they have paler gray underparts; they have a short black bill, and a black bib. The typical adult wingspan is 7.5 in (19 cm), and the overall length is 5–6 in (13–15 cm). The Mountain Chickadee is one of 55 species of chickadees and tits. The mountain chickadee can be distinguished from other North American chickadees because mountain chickadees are marked with a white line through the side of their black cap, whereas all other North American chickadees have a solid black-cap. Another difference between the... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Bridled Titmouse
Baeolophus wollweberi
Juniper Titmouse
Baeolophus ridgwayi
Verdin
Auriparus flaviceps
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
Lesser Goldfinch
Spinus psaltria
Abert's Towhee
Melozone aberti
Vermilion Flycatcher
Pyrocephalus rubinus
Curve-billed Thrasher
Toxostoma curvirostre
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
Phainopepla
Phainopepla nitens
Cactus Wren
Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |