Chickadees are small, active birds that belong to the paridae family. They are known for their black caps and heads, white cheeks, and soft vocalizations. Chickadees are found throughout North America and are backyard favorites due to their curiosity, intelligence, and cheerful presence.
Finches are small passerine birds in the fringillidae family. There are many different species of finches found all over the world. They are known for their conical beaks used for cracking open seeds and their energetic flight patterns. Some of the most common finches in North America include the house finch, purple finch, American goldfinch, and cassin’s finch.
Taxonomy
Chickadees and finches belong to different taxonomic families. Chickadees are in the family Paridae which includes titmice and bushtits. Finches belong to the family Fringillidae which includes other seed-eating birds like grosbeaks, redpolls, and siskins. This means chickadees and finches diverged evolutionarily over 20 million years ago.
Here is a breakdown of the taxonomy:
Chickadee Taxonomy | Finch Taxonomy |
---|---|
Kingdom: Animalia | Kingdom: Animalia |
Phylum: Chordata | Phylum: Chordata |
Class: Aves | Class: Aves |
Order: Passeriformes | Order: Passeriformes |
Family: Paridae | Family: Fringillidae |
Genus: Poecile, Baeolophus, etc. | Genus: Haemorhous, Spinus, etc. |
Species: Poecile atricapillus (Black-capped chickadee) | Species: Haemorhous mexicanus (House finch) |
As you can see, chickadees and finches share the classification down to the order Passeriformes. But at the family level they diverge, with chickadees in Paridae and finches in Fringillidae.
Physical Differences
In addition to taxonomic differences, chickadees and finches have clear physical differences:
- Size: Most chickadees are tiny, around 5 inches long and weighing less than half an ounce. Finches have more variation but tend to be slightly larger, around 5-6 inches long and weighing up to 1 ounce.
- Shape: Chickadees have round, large heads and full, round bodies. Finches have more conical shapes with narrower bodies.
- Beaks: Chickadees have short, stout beaks. Finches have narrow, cone-shaped beaks perfect for cracking seeds.
- Color: Chickadees are known for their black caps and heads, white cheeks, and gray backs. Finches have much more variation but often vivid streaks, spots, or red coloration.
- Tail: Chickadees have short, rounded tails. Many finches have notched or forked tails.
Behavioral Differences
Chickadees and finches behave differently as well:
- Food: Chickadees are omnivores, eating insects, spiders, seeds, and berries. Finches are primarily seed-eaters.
- Feeding: Chickadees feed more deliberately, clinging to branches and carefully plucking food. Finches make quick flights to grab seeds.
- Flocking: Chickadees stay close to flocks in winter. Finches form large flocks of hundreds of birds.
- Nesting: Chickadees nest in tree cavities. Finches build cup-shaped nests on branches.
- Vocalizations: Chickadees make “chick-a-dee-dee” calls. Finches make twitters, warbles, and finch-like “zeet” sounds.
- Backyard habits: Chickadees are more likely to come to feeders while finches stay up high in trees.
Habitat Differences
Chickadees and finches live in overlapping but slightly different habitats:
- Chickadees thrive in deciduous and mixed forests across North America.
- Finches live more open areas like forest edges, shrublands, backyards, and agricultural areas.
- Chickadees stick to the tree canopy while finches go between trees and ground.
- Chickadees range into northern Canada while finches avoid the far north.
- Some finches migrate long distances but chickadees are mostly resident in their breeding range.
Diet Differences
Chickadees are omnivores while finches are primarily seed-eaters. Here are some details on their diets:
Chickadee Diet
- Insects like caterpillars, spiders, ants
- Seeds from trees and plants
- Berries, fruits, tree sap
- Some nectar and suet/fat at feeders
- Egg and nestlings during breeding season
Finch Diet
- Seeds from trees, weeds, grasses
- Buds, berries, fruits
- Some insects and spiders
- Nectar from flowers
- Suet/fat and nut butter at feeders
As you can see, chickadees eat more insects while relying on seeds and berries as backup food. Finches primarily consume seeds and switch to fruits, buds, and nectar when seeds are scarce.
Range and Distribution
Chickadees and finches have overlapping but distinct ranges in North America. Here are some key differences:
- Chickadees range across almost all of North America into Canada and Alaska.
- Finches avoid the far north and are rare in the SE U.S. and Mexico.
- The Black-capped chickadee is the most widespread chickadee.
- The House finch has the largest finch range across the west and into the Midwest/Northeast.
- Some finches like the purple finch have very narrow ranges in the Northeast/Midwest.
In summary, chickadees have adapted to cold northern climates better than finches. But finches are found in more open, arid habitats in the west that chickadees avoid.
Reproduction
Chickadees and finches build different types of nests in different locations:
- Chickadees nest in tree cavities they excavate or find in dead trees.
- Finches build delicate cup nests on outer branches of trees and shrubs.
- Chickadee nests have moss and plant material while finch nests have finer grasses.
- Chickadees lay 6-8 eggs while finches lay 3-6 eggs.
- Chickadee eggs are white with brown spots while finch eggs are pale blue.
- Both chickadees and finches incubate eggs for about two weeks.
- Chicks fledge the nest in 16-18 days for chickadees and 12-14 days for finches.
Species
There are only a handful of chickadee species but dozens of different finch species. Here are some of the most common species in each family:
Common Chickadee Species
- Black-capped chickadee
- Carolina chickadee
- Mountain chickadee
- Chestnut-backed chickadee
- Boreal chickadee
Common Finch Species
- House finch
- Purple finch
- American goldfinch
- Cassin’s finch
- Red crossbill
- White-winged crossbill
- Pine siskin
- Evening grosbeak
As you can see, there are many more diversity of finches compared to relatively similar chickadees. Some finches like crossbills and siskins specialize on certain conifer seeds.
Interaction
Chickadees and finches interact in natural habitats in a few ways:
- They compete for some of the same food resources like seeds and berries.
- Chickadees may mob or harass finches around feeders.
- Finches may occasionally raid chickadee nests for eggs.
- Both chickadees and finches join mixed winter foraging flocks.
- Chickadees may benefit from finches opening seeds like sunflower.
However, competition is limited since chickadees spend more time in trees while finches feed lower in shrubs. Chickadees are also better adapted to northern climates than finches.
Summary
In summary, chickadees and finches belong to different taxonomic families that diverged evolutionarily over 20 million years ago. They have distinct physical differences in size, shape, coloration, beaks, and tails. Chickadees and finches also differ in their behavior, preferred habitats, diets, ranges, and reproduction.
While chickadees and finches may interact at bird feeders and share some common food resources, they occupy distinct ecological niches. Chickadees thrive in northern forests while finches prefer more open areas further south. So chickadees are certainly not in the finch family, but both are beloved and fascinating backyard birds!