Mountain chickadees are tiny perching birds weighing only half an ounce. They need 10 calories per day to survive. They have black and white on their heads while the rest of their body is gray. The most differentiating feature of this bird is the white stripe over the eye. Mountain chickadees can be found in dry evergreen forests of the mountains in the western part of North America. They are very active and acrobatic birds, they flit through high branches and hang upside down to get insects and spiders or seeds from pinecones.

These little birds are around my area all year long. I will hear them more often than I see them, their call is a very distinct and loud, “chika zee zee zee”.