Perch Supply
Diet

What do Carolina chickadees eat?

Mostly insects and spiders in the breeding season; seeds and berries in winter.

Chickadees and titmice (Paridae)Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis

Spring and summer diet

  • Caterpillars, moths and spiders
  • Scale insects and insect eggs

Fall and winter diet

  • Seeds and small fruit
  • Sunflower, suet and peanuts at feeders

Best feeder foods

  • Black-oil sunflower
  • Suet
  • Shelled peanuts

Like other chickadees they carry off single seeds to eat or cache, and often lead mixed flocks with titmice and nuthatches to feeders.

Which feeder works best for Carolina chickadees →

Where Carolina chickadees need winter food

Regions where Carolina chickadees are present in the cold months:

AlabamaArkansasDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMarylandMississippiMissouriNew JerseyNorth CarolinaOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWest Virginia

Frequently asked

What do Carolina chickadees eat?

Mostly insects and spiders in the breeding season; seeds and berries in winter.

What is the best food to feed Carolina chickadees?

Black-oil sunflower, Suet, Shelled peanuts.

What do Carolina chickadees eat in winter?

Seeds and small fruit; Sunflower, suet and peanuts at feeders.

Sources

  1. Carolina Chickadee — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  2. Carolina Chickadee life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  3. Carolina Chickadee — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
  4. NestWatch nest box plans and species requirements — Cornell Lab

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.