Black-capped chickadees form pairs of one male and one female. They stay with each other to mate and raise chicks, but they may find different partners from year to year. Pairs are formed during the fall migration. Males show interest in females by chasing them in flight. Males will select females of equal rank so that the highest ranking male will mate with the highest ranking female.
Mating System: monogamous
Both males and females participate in excavating a nest in a dead tree or rotting stump. Black-capped chickadees prefer a nesting tree if the inner wood is soft, but the outer wood is sturdy. Pairs will often excavate several nest cavities before the female selects one to begin building a nest in. The cavity is lined with moss, feathers, wood shavings, and animal hair. Nest cavities are rarely re-used in later years. The breeding season begins in early spring, and the eggs are laid between April and early July. The female begins laying eggs 1 to 2 days after completing the nest, with a typical clutch consisting of 6 to 8 eggs. Females are the only incubators and this incubation period lasts 12 to 13 days. While the female stays in the nest and warms the eggs, the male brings food for her. The young are altricial at birth, meaning they have only a few feathers and their eyes are closed. They depend on their parents for food and warmth. The chicks are very small and only weigh 1 g when they hatch. The chicks are fed and kept warm until they fledge (able to fly and leave the nest) at 14 to 18 days old. The parents and fledgelings then leave the nest site, but travel in a group and the parents continue to feed the young until they reach independence at 5 to 6 weeks of age.
Breeding interval: Black-capped chickadees breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Black-capped chickadees breed from April to early August.
Range eggs per season: 5 to 10.
Average eggs per season: 6 to 8.
Range time to hatching: 12 to 13 days.
Range fledging age: 14 to 18 days.
Range time to independence: 5 to 6 weeks.
Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
Average eggs per season: 7.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 180 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 180 days.
In black-capped chickadees, both males and females participate in excavating a cavity nest. They will excavate several cavities and the female will select one to construct a nest. The female builds the nest alone and fills the cavity with moss, feathers, wood chips and animal fur. During this time, the male will protect the surrounding territory by distracting any predators and leading them away from the nest. The female performs all egg incubation and the male will feed her. Once the chicks have hatched, the male continues his feeding duties and will provide food for the female and the chicks. Black-capped chickadees are born altricial and require significant parental investments to feed and brood the young until they can see, thermoregulate, and feed on their own. The female will leave the nest after the young develop feathers, and she will participate in gathering food for the growing chicks. After chicks have fledged, the family will leave the nest site and travel together until the young reach independence. Both the male and female participate in feeding the young until independence.
Parental Investment: altricial ; male parental care ; female parental care ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)