The Mexican chickadee (Poecile sclateri) is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is still often 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 (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union had been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already.
Adults are 12.5–13.5 cm long with a wingspan of 18–21 cm and a weight of 7.5–11 g. Both sexes have a black cap, white cheeks, and a short black bill. Their backs and flanks are gray and they have paler grayish underparts. Similar in appearance to the black-capped chickadee and mountain chickadee, the Mexican chickadee can be distinguished by its longer black bib, which extends from its chin down onto its upper breast. A whitish band below the bib extends down the center of the belly.
It is a permanent resident of wooded highlands in western, central and northeastern Mexico, the range extends north into extreme southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Although primarily nonmigratory, Mexican chickadees sometimes fly to lower elevations during the cold of winter.
The Mexican chickadee's song is distinct from other chickadees; it is a complex burry trilled whistle of chischu-wur and a rich cheelee. They travel in pairs or small groups, and may join multi-species feeding flocks.
The nest is constructed by the female in a snag or tree cavity up to 18 m above the ground, and consists of grasses, moss, strips of bark, and is lined with animal fur. She lays between five and eight ovate white eggs, marked with fine reddish brown spots. Their breeding biology is not well known, but it is estimated that eggs are incubated for 11–14 days by the female, and the altricial young fledge in 18–21 days.
^BirdLife International (2020). "Poecile sclateri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22711732A137665061. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22711732A137665061.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
The Mexicanchickadee (Poecile sclateri) is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is still often placed in the genus Parus...
across North America, Europe and Asia; the North American species are the chickadees. In the past, most authorities retained Poecile as a subgenus within the...
arboreus, and Sideroxylon capiri. Birds of the forest include the Mexicanchickadee, Montezuma quail, Strickland's woodpecker, zone-tailed hawk and several...
with a mixed diet including seeds and insects. Mountain chickadee, Poecile gambeli Mexicanchickadee, Poecile sclateri Bridled titmouse, Baeolophus wollweberi...
elevations by the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Varied bunting Bushtit Mexicanchickadee Cordilleran flycatcher American dusky flycatcher American grey flycatcher...
been recorded in New Mexico. Black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapilla Mountain chickadee, Poecile gambeli Mexicanchickadee, Poecile sclateri Bridled...
became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its successful war for independence, but was ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War...
deer, and mountain lion. Birds of this park include great horned owl, chickadee, sparrow, woodpecker, turkey vulture, greater roadrunner, hummingbird...
Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-84-96553-42-2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds...
the common grackle, the blue jay, the American crow, the black-capped chickadee, some warblers and swallows, the starling and the rock pigeon. Avian fauna...
species forms flocks of 10 to 40 individuals of various species, including chickadees and warblers, to forage for tiny insects and spiders in mixed-species...
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