Chickadees are small, familiar songbirds known for their distinctive calls. As cavity-nesting birds, the appearance of a chickadee’s nest is defined by the materials used and the structure of the space containing it. The finished nest is a meticulously constructed, two-part structure built entirely by the female, designed to be a secure, insulated environment for their clutches of eggs.
Nest Placement and Location
Chickadees are primary cavity nesters, often excavating their own nesting site rather than relying on existing holes. They seek soft, rotten wood in dead trees, snags, or stumps, allowing them to chip away and create a customized chamber roughly 5 inches deep. This excavation process takes a pair between seven and ten days, with both the male and female participating in removing wood chips.
The height of these natural sites varies significantly, ranging from just above ground level to 15 feet or more, though they are commonly found between 4 and 14 feet up. The entrance hole to the cavity is kept remarkably small, typically measuring about 1 and 1/8 inches in diameter. This size is just large enough for the chickadee to enter but effectively excludes many larger predators. The birds readily use artificial locations when natural sites are scarce, including appropriately sized nest boxes, fence posts, or plumbing vents.
Materials and Construction
The actual nest is a cup-shaped structure built inside the protective cavity, divided into two distinct layers. The foundation layer is made of coarser, loosely packed materials that fill the bottom of the cavity and provide a structural base. This layer often consists of moss, strips of bark, pine needles, or dry grasses, and its depth varies depending on the cavity size.
Layered atop this foundation is a deep, warm cup that holds the eggs. The female lines this cup with fine, soft materials chosen for their insulating properties, such as animal hair, rabbit fur, plant down, or feathers. This finished cup is typically about 2 and 3/8 inches across and 1 inch deep, providing a snug cradle for the eggs. The complexity of the structure, particularly the use of insulating materials, suggests a strategy to retain warmth for the eggs during cool spring weather.
The Clutch and Eggs
The nest typically contains a sizable clutch of eggs, laid one per day until the set is complete. Clutch sizes are generally between six and eight eggs, though records show a range from one to thirteen. The eggs are oval-round and have a dull shell texture, measuring about 0.65 inches long and 0.59 inches wide.
The eggs are creamy white or pure white, marked with fine speckles of reddish-brown. These spots are usually concentrated around the wider end of the egg. This subtle pattern provides the only variation in color across the plain surface, giving the eggs a distinct, speckled appearance inside the soft, fur-lined nest cup.