Black-capped Chickadee and Carolina Chickadee (en anglais)

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The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) and the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) can be confusing species for eastern bird watchers to identify. The ranges of these species do not overlap much, and birds are quite rare any distance outside of their mapped range. For many people, a quick look at a range map will show which species are most likely to occur at their feeders. But for those who live in the zone of overlap, a fairly stable and narrow band that runs along the east-central United States, the chickadees pose a serious identification challenge. To complicate matters, the species have been known to hybridize in the overlap zone. When identifying these two chickadees, concentrate equally on the differences in plumage and the differences in vocalizations. However, near the zone of overlap, birds have been known to learn each other’s vocalizations, and hybrids tend to deliver odd-sounding variations. A bird located near the zone of overlap that sings both songs, or sings “odd-sounding” songs, cannot be positively identified in the field.