Chestnut-backed Chickadees in California

Chestnut-backed Chickadees live in California all year — coast ranges and northern Sierra. Wet, mild winters are the green season — the busiest time at coastal feeders as sparrows and hummingbirds settle in. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward conifer seeds.

Mediterranean along the coast and Central Valley, alpine in the Sierra Nevada, and desert in the southeast.

Across California, chestnut-backed chickadees typically nest from March–June. Nest site: cavity or nest box with a thick fur lining. Females lay 5–7 eggs, incubate for 12–18 days, and young leave the nest after 18–21 days.

Dry summers with little rain from May to October; water and summer-blooming natives matter more than extra seed.

• Have boxes cleaned and mounted before February — chestnut-backed chickadees begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
• Use a 1 1/8 in 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 June.

Of the regional native plants we track for California, these 8 provide food or cover chestnut-backed chickadees use:

A bird of wet Pacific conifer forest; forages high in Douglas fir and hemlock.

• Best foods: Black-oil sunflower, Suet.
• In California's winter: Wet, mild winters are the green season — the busiest time at coastal feeders as sparrows and hummingbirds settle in.

Full diet breakdown for chestnut-backed chickadees · Best feeder for chestnut-backed chickadees