The mountain chickadee is a tiny songbird that thrives in Lake Tahoe’s forests, and is one of the most recognizable year-round residents of the Sierra Nevada. It can be distinguished from the lower elevation black-capped chickadee by its white eyebrow stripe, and its easily recognized three-note call is heard often. Many listeners are convinced that mountain chickadees call for “cheeseburger, cheeseburger.”

These little birds inhabit elevations ranging from the lake’s surface to surrounding peaks above 10,000 feet. They prefer to live in a mature coniferous forest dominated by ponderosa pines, Jeffrey pines, white fir, and red fir. They also seek out areas with plenty of snags and mature trees that can provide nesting cavities. 

Our mountain chickadees are nonmigratory, with remarkable adaptations to survive Tahoe’s harsh winters. They can lower their body temperature during cold nights, entering a state of hypothermia, which conserves energy. Their dense fluffy plumage provides excellent insulation, and their small size allows them to use microhabitats and food sources that are not available to larger birds.

Spring turns mountain chickadees into eating machines. They consume vast quantities of insects, caterpillars, and spiders, methodically gleaning them from pine needles, bark crevasses, and cone scales. Their needle-shaped bills are well adapted for pulling insects from tight spaces. 

As the summer wanes, they shift their diet to include seeds, particularly conifer seeds. They also begin their remarkable food-caching behavior. Mountain chickadees have an extraordinary memory. They are known to retrieve, with impressive accuracy, stored seeds months after first hiding them away. 

Mountain chickadees play an important ecological role in the Tahoe forest ecosystem. They are voracious predators of insects, and they help control populations of forest pests, including bark beetles and caterpillars that damage trees. Their seed-caching behavior inadvertently aids in forest regeneration, as the occasional forgotten cache sometimes germinates and creates new trees.

Climate change poses some challenges for mountain chickadees in the Tahoe Basin. Warming temperatures may alter the timing of insect emergence, potentially disrupting synchronized breeding cycles. Additionally, changing precipitation patterns could affect seed production in their preferred coniferous habitats. However, their adaptability and year-round residency suggest they may be more resilient than migratory species to environmental changes in this iconic mountain ecosystem.

The University of Nevada studied the effects of supplementing chickadees natural food sources with food provided in feeders or by hand. The research, done at Chickadee Ridge near Mount Rose, determined that the birds were not negatively impacted, as long as proper food is used.

Mountain chickadee will use backyard feeders, but they will often disregard millet in bird seed mixes, preferring black-oil sunflower seeds. In winter they also eat suet and peanut butter. It’s said that a chickadee needs to eat about 10 calories a day, which is equivalent to about one-twentieth of an ounce of peanut butter. 

If you stock your backyard with chickadee treats, remember that bears also like  peanut butter and sunflower seeds. It may be better for all concerned to spend some time up at Chickadee Ridge, with tempting seeds in your extended palm. Feeding these remarkable, and friendly, little birds in person is way more fun than watching a bird feeder.