Baby Carolina chickadees: from egg to fledgling
A Carolina Chickadee lays 3–10 eggs. They hatch after 11–14 days, and the young leave the nest 13–17 days later — about 24–31 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 3–10 eggs
- Incubation
- 11–14 days
- Time in the nest
- 13–17 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 24–31 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Cavities in dead wood or nest boxes, often with moss nesting material
- Uses nest boxes
- Yes — 1 1/8 in round hole
Stage by stage
- Eggs (11–14 days): 3–10 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (13–17 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season Carolina chickadees mainly eat caterpillars, moths and spiders, scale insects and insect eggs.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young Carolina chickadees are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When Carolina chickadees nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Mar) and latest in Arkansas (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Mar–Jun |
| Arkansas | Apr–Jun |
| Delaware | Apr–Jun |
| Florida | Mar–Jun |
| Georgia | Mar–Jun |
| Illinois | Apr–Jun |
| Indiana | Apr–Jun |
| Kansas | Apr–Jun |
| Kentucky | Apr–Jun |
| Louisiana | Mar–Jun |
| Maryland | Apr–Jun |
| Mississippi | Mar–Jun |
| Missouri | Apr–Jun |
| New Jersey | Apr–Jun |
| North Carolina | Mar–Jun |
| Ohio | Apr–Jun |
| Oklahoma | Apr–Jun |
| Pennsylvania | Apr–Jun |
| South Carolina | Mar–Jun |
| Tennessee | Apr–Jun |
| Texas | Mar–Jun |
| Virginia | Apr–Jun |
| West Virginia | Apr–Jun |
Found a baby Carolina Chickadee?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about Carolina chickadees
Frequently asked
How long do baby Carolina chickadees stay in the nest?
About 13–17 days after hatching. Eggs take 11–14 days to hatch, so it is roughly 24–31 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Carolina Chickadee lay?
3–10 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do Carolina chickadees nest?
Cavities in dead wood or nest boxes, often with moss nesting material.
What should I do if I find a baby Carolina Chickadee on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.