Ontario · Year-round resident

Black-capped Chickadees in Ontario

When black-capped chickadees are present in Ontario, when they nest, which native Ontario plants feed them, and how to host them in a Canadian zones 0a–7a yard.

Photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons

Status in Ontario: Year-round resident
Nesting window: May–July
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)
Nest box: 1 1/8 in round hole, 4 × 4 in floor, 5–15 ft

When to expect black-capped chickadees in Ontario

Black-capped Chickadees live in Ontario all year. Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward cached seeds and insect eggs; suet and sunflower at feeders; poison-ivy and bayberry fruit.

Humid continental in the south, boreal and subarctic in the north; most backyard birding happens in the southern Great Lakes lowlands.

Nesting in Ontario

Across Ontario, black-capped chickadees typically nest from May–July. Nest site: excavates or reuses cavities in soft, rotting wood; readily uses nest boxes. Females lay 1–13 eggs (usually 6–8), incubate for 11–14 days, and young leave the nest after 12–16 days.

Short, warm summers; Point Pelee and Long Point are continent-famous migration sites.

Have boxes cleaned and mounted before April — black-capped chickadees begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
Use a 1 1/8 in round entrance on a 4 × 4 in floor, mounted 5–15 ft.
Fit a pole baffle or hole guard; ventilation gaps and drainage holes are essential.
Clean out old nests after each brood and again after July.

Native Ontario plants that attract black-capped chickadees

Of the regional native plants we track for Ontario, these 8 provide food or cover black-capped chickadees use:

Eastern white cedar

Thuja occidentalis · Tree

Dense roosting cover.

Sugar maple

Acer saccharum · Tree

Insects, seeds and cavities.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

Feeding black-capped chickadees through the Ontario year

Chickadees grab one seed, leave to hammer it open or hide it, then return. They are among the first to find a new feeder.

Best foods: Black-oil sunflower, Suet, Shelled peanuts, Hulled sunflower.
In Ontario's winter: Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.

Full diet breakdown for black-capped chickadees · Best feeder for black-capped chickadees

Frequently asked

Are black-capped chickadees in Ontario year-round?

Yes. Black-capped Chickadees are year-round residents in Ontario.

When do black-capped chickadees nest in Ontario?

Nesting in Ontario typically runs May–July, with 1 per season. Clutches are 1–13 eggs (usually 6–8), incubated for 11–14 days.

What native plants attract black-capped chickadees in Ontario?

Eastern white cedar, Sugar maple, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry are native plants in Ontario that provide food or cover for black-capped chickadees.

What size birdhouse hole do black-capped chickadees need?

1 1/8 in round, with a floor of 4 × 4 in mounted 5–15 ft.

Other backyard birds in Ontario

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.