Includes Gambel's Chickadee and Bailey’s Chickadee
- Poecile gambeli
Identification
13-15 cm. White eyebrow, brown flanks.
Distribution
From British Columbia south to the Mexican border; east to Colorado.
Taxonomy
Polytypic. Consists of six subspecies.
- P. g. gambeli
- P. g. wasatchensis
- P. g. inyoensis
- P. g. abbreviatus
- P. g. baileyae
- P. g. atratus
A study shows genetic divisions within this species possibly indicating a future split. Such a split has now been proposed, leading to:
- Gambel's Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) from British Columbia and Alberta through Rocky Mts and Great Basin to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas
- Bailey’s Chickadee (Poecile baileyae) from Cascade Mountains of Washington through Sierra Nevada to Baja California
The Opus is waiting for the position of the world wide checklists
Habitat
Mountain forest.
Behaviour
Diet includes seeds and insects.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Paper describing genetic findings with this species
- Birdforum thread discussing proposal to split Mountain Chickadee and other splits
