Chickadees are small songbirds that belong to the paridae family. There are several species of chickadees found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Some of the most common species in North America include the Black-capped Chickadee, Carolina Chickadee, and Boreal Chickadee.
Chickadees have short slender bills and are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, berries, and insects. So are chickadees considered herbivores?
What is an herbivore?
Herbivores are animals that get their energy and nutrients solely from plant-based foods. True herbivores only eat plant matter including leaves, stems, roots, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. Examples of herbivores include deer, elephants, horses, sheep, and cattle.
Omnivores, on the other hand, eat both plant and animal matter. They have a more varied diet and are able to obtain nutrients from many different food sources. Examples of omnivores include chickens, crows, foxes, pigs, and of course, humans.
Since chickadees eat both seeds and berries as well as insects and other small invertebrates, they are considered omnivores rather than true herbivores.
Chickadee diet
Chickadees have a varied diet that changes with the seasons. Here is a breakdown of what chickadees eat throughout the year:
Spring
In the spring, chickadees feed mainly on insects and other invertebrates to get the protein they need for breeding season. Some of their preferred springtime foods include:
- Caterpillars
- Spiders
- Beetles
- Ants
- Aphids
- Scale insects
- Moth eggs
Chickadees eat these insects and bugs by gleaning them from leaves and branches in trees and shrubs. They also occasionally catch flying insects in mid-air.
Summer
In the summer, chickadees switch to eating more seeds and fruits. They take advantage of ripening berries and edible plant seeds. Summer foods include:
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Elderberries
- Serviceberries
- Wild cherries
- Wild grapes
- Seed from birches, maples, and conifers
Chickadees continue to eat some insects in summer as well, especially caterpillars that can be found on leaves and trees.
Fall
In fall, chickadees start caching or storing food to eat over the winter. Their autumn diet includes:
- Acorns
- Beechnuts
- Seeds from coneflowers, thistles and sunflowers
- Insects like beetles, caterpillars and ants
Chickadees hide thousands of individual food items in bark crevices, branches, and other natural nooks. They remember where caches are located using spatial memory.
Winter
In winter, chickadees rely heavily on their stored food caches to survive. Their winter diet consists mainly of:
- Recovered seeds and nuts
- Some fruits and berries
- Dormant insects
Chickadees will frequent bird feeders in winter for black oil sunflower seeds, suet, peanut hearts, and other high-fat foods.
Other feeding behaviors
In addition to their seasonal dietary preferences, chickadees exhibit some other notable feeding behaviors:
- Chickadees use their slender beak to hammer into seeds and nuts to extract the meat inside.
- They sometimes hold seeds and nuts with their feet and hammer them open.
- Chickadees forage in flocks, especially in winter for protection from predators.
- They feed in trees by moving along branches and exploring leaves, crevices and bark for food.
- Chickadees have good vision and are able to find dormant insects in winter.
- They can hang upside down from branches to reach food sources.
- Chickadees are attracted to suet feeders with small openings that bigger birds can’t fit into.
Digestive system
Chickadees have anatomical adaptations that allow them to digest and obtain nutrients from their omnivorous diet:
- A small, lightweight body to enable efficient foraging and flight.
- A slender pointed beak for manipulating, hammering open and consuming seeds and insects.
- A short digestive tract suited for an energy-rich diet.
- A muscular gizzard for grinding up fibrous plant matter and hard exoskeletons.
- Enzymes and gastric juices capable of breaking down cellulose, chitin and other complex compounds.
Role in ecosystem
As omnivores, chickadees play an important role in their forest ecosystem. Their dietary habits contribute in the following ways:
- Eat insects like caterpillars that can damage trees and become forest pests if populations get too high.
- Disperse seeds from berries and other fruits through feces after eating.
- Habitat creation – old chickadee cavities provide nesting sites for other secondary cavity nesters like nuthatches and titmice.
- Prey species for small carnivores like snakes and predatory birds.
- Help maintain balance between insect and plant populations within forests.
Conclusion
Chickadees are classified as omnivores rather than herbivores. While they do eat plant material like seeds and fruits, insects and other invertebrates make up a significant portion of their diet, especially during spring and summer. Chickadees have anatomical and behavioral adaptations allowing them to obtain nutrients from both plant and animal matter.
As omnivores, chickadees are able to thrive in a variety of forested habitats across North America. Their unique dietary habits and food caching behaviors allow them to survive the harshest winters. Chickadees play an important role within their ecosystem by helping control insect populations, disperse seeds, create nesting sites and provide food for predators.
