Youngsters
get to know the young hero and the adventures
that carry him toward manhood. As they come to know Jeremiah as a friend who would
understand their own growing pains, they look forward to each book in the
series.
Teachers
will Achieve..
Teachers will appreciate the ways
that Jeremiah Stokely novels, kits, and activities make literature
meaningful to children. Teachers can download free classroom idea
packets to hold a hand-on workshop based on each book.
Click the >Play button
to listen to the bird's song!
(Black-Capped) Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla)
Length 5¼ in., wingspan 8
in., Family Paridae
All six North American species
of chickadee are “black-capped” but only one carries the name. This is the
familiar Black-capped Chickadee with gray back and wings, black cap and
bib, white cheeks and belly, and pale tan flanks (sides).
The Carolina Chickadee (poecile
carolinensis) is confusingly similar, slightly smaller (4 ¾ inches),
with shorter tail and more sharply defined bib. Both species call
“chickadee-dee-dee-dee,” but Carolina’s voice is higher-pitched and it
sings five to seven “dee” notes, t the Black-Capped only three or four.
The differences between the
species are so subtle that it is best to consult a map. There is slight
overlap of ranges in the upper Midwest, but if you live in any northern
state, it’s safe to assume it’s Black-Capped. In the southern two-thirds
of the Midwest (from the Atlantic to eastern Texas, up through the middle
of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio), it’s a Carolina. The western U.S. has its
Mountain Chickadee.
Chickadees are cheerful,
lively birds. They aren’t afraid of people and may even eat from a
person’s hand. They sit in a nearby tree and scold while the bird feeder
is filled. Besides residential areas, they frequent forests and parks.
They do not migrate. The Black-Capped is one of the few birds that can
survive the winter months in northern forests.
Chickadees glean for insects
and seeds in trees. They often feed in mixed flocks of birds, helping one
another watch for common enemies such as hawks. Chickadees use existing
nest sites such as old woodpecker holes. They line the cavity with soft
lichen, moss and feathers, and the female lays six to eight white eggs.
After two weeks, the babies hatch. Two weeks later, they fledge (leave the
nest).
The
Black-Capped Chickadee is the state bird of Maine and Massachusetts.
