Poecile carolinensis (Try saying that ten times fast! ;-P)
Though similar in appearance to the Black-capped chickadee, they are not the same. They both have little black "caps" on the tops of their heads, little black beards, grey wings, and white bellies. But there are a few differences you can point out to identify them from each other. One is that the beards on the Carolina chickadee have sharper edges, so the edge of the beard is more defined against the pure white cheeks. The Black-capped chickadee has more brown on its belly. Carolina chickadees also have a white tint at the edges of the wings. Also, If you're in a place where carolina chickadees don't live, it's a black-capped chickadee, and vice-versa. But sometimes, in the places where their ranges overlap, the two species can mate with the other and produce hybrids that may sing the song of one, the other, or a mixture of both. Carolina chickadees live in a burrow as a nest, going into small holes in trees to build their homes. They lay 3-10 white eggs with brown speckles each mating season. Eggs are about 1 inch long. Sometimes, a relationship between a male and a female can last several years, as if the birds are soul mates. The average lifespan of a Carolina chickadee is 4-5 years, although the oldest one found in the wild was 10 years and 8 months old. It is a relatively small bird, with a rounded head and fat-ish body, giving the appearance to be spherical in shape.
P.S. I'm going to get a picture of my own of a Carolina Chickadee but this one will have to do for now.
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