Birds of America 
By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.
VOLUME II.
BLACK-CAP TITMOUSE.
[Black-capped Chickadee.]
PARUS ATRICAPILLUS, Linn.
[Parus atricapillus.]
PLATE CXXVI.--MALE AND FEMALE.
The opinion generally entertained respecting the extensive dispersion
of the Black-cap Titmouse, has in all probability originated from the great
resemblance which it bears to the Carolina Titmouse, Parus Carolinensis,
that species being now known to extend its spring and summer migrations
as far eastward as the State of New Jersey, where it has been found breeding
by my friend EDWARD HARRIS, Esq. of Moorestown. The Black-cap, on the other
hand, is rarely observed farther south, and then only in winter, when it
proceeds as far as beyond the middle portions of Maryland, from whence
I have at that season received specimens in spirits, collected by my friend
Colonel THEODORE ANDERSON of Baltimore. Westward of the Alleghanies it
extends as far as Kentucky in winter, but at the approach of spring returns
northward. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey some are known to breed; but
as the Carolina Titmouse breeds there also, it is difficult to say which
of them is the most numerous, they being so like each other that one is
apt to confound them. In the State of New York it is abundant, and often
rears two broods in the season; as you proceed eastward you may observe
it in all places favourable to its habits; and, according to Dr. RICHARDSON,
it is found as far north as lat. 65, it being in the Fur Countries the
most common bird, "a small family inhabiting almost every thicket."
None were seen by Mr. TOWNSEND either on the Rocky Mountains or about the
Columbia river, where, on the contrary, Parus Carolinensis is abundant,
as it is also in the Texas, where I found it breeding in the spring of
1837. Although bearing a considerable resemblance to the Marsh Titmouse
of Europe, P. palustris, it differs from that species not only in colour,
but more especially in its habits and notes.
Hardy, smart, restless, industrious, and frugal, the Black-cap Titmouse
ranges through the forest during the summer, and retiring to its more secluded
parts, as if to ensure a greater degree of quiet, it usually breeds there.
Numerous eggs produce a numerous progeny, and as soon as the first brood
has been reared, the young range hither and thither in a body, searching
for food, while their parents, intent on forming another family, remain
concealed and almost silent, laying their eggs in the hole deserted by
some small Woodpecker, or forming one for themselves. As it has been my
fortune to witness a pair at this work, I will here state what occurred,
notwithstanding the opinion of those who inform us that the bill of a Titmouse
is "not shaped for digging." While seated one morning under a
crab-apple tree (very hard wood, reader), I saw two Black-cap Titmice fluttering
about in great concern, as if anxious to see me depart. By their manners
indeed I was induced to believe that their nest was near, and, anxious
to observe their proceedings, I removed to the distance of about twenty
paces. The birds now became silent, alighted on the apple-tree, gradually
moved towards the base of one of its large branches, and one of them disappeared
in what I then supposed to be the hole of some small Woodpecker; but I
saw it presently on the edge, with a small chip in its bill, and again
cautiously approached the tree. When three or four yards off I distinctly
heard the peckings or taps of the industrious worker within, and saw it
come to the mouth of the hole and return many times in succession in the
course of half an hour, after which I got up and examined the mansion.
The hole was about three inches deep, and dug obliquely downward from the
aperture, which was just large enough to admit the bird. I had observed
both sexes at this labour, and left the spot perfectly satisfied as to
their power of boring a nest for themselves.
The Black-cap Titmouse, or Chickadee, as it is generally named in our
Eastern States, though exceedingly shy in summer or during the breeding
season, becomes quite familiar in winter, although it never ventures to
enter the habitations of man; but in the most boisterous weather, requiring
neither food nor shelter there, it may be seen amidst the snow in the rugged
paths of the cheerless woods, where it welcomes the traveller or the woodcutter
with a confidence and cheerfulness far surpassing the well-known familiarity
of the Robin Redbreast of Europe. Often, on such occasions, should you
offer it, no matter how small a portion of your fare, it alights without
hesitation, and devours it without manifesting any apprehension. The sound
of an axe in the woods is sufficient to bring forth several of these busy
creatures, and having discovered the woodman, they seem to find pleasure
in his company. If, as is usually the case, he is provided with a dinner,
the Chickadee at once evinces its anxiety to partake of it, and loses no
opportunity of accomplishing its object, although it sets about it with
much circumspection, as if it were afraid of being detected, and brought
to punishment. A woodcutter in Maine assured me, that one day he happened
to be at work, and had scarcely hung up his basket of provisions, when
it was observed by a flock of these birds, which, having gathered into
it at once, attacked a piece of cold beef; but after each peck, he saw
their heads raised above the edge, as if to guard against the least appearance
of danger. After picking until they were tired or satisfied, they left
the basket and perched directly over his fire, but out of the direction
of the smoke. There they sat enjoying themselves and ruffling their feathers
to allow the warmth more easy access to their skin, until he began his
dinner, when they immediately alighted near him, and in the most plaintive
tones seemed to solicit a portion.
WILSON and others have spoken of this species as being addicted to moving
in the company of our smaller Woodpeckers and Brown Creepers, and this
in such a way as to induce most readers to believe the act to be customary;
but I have often found groups of them, at times composed of more than a
dozen, without any such companions, and I should be more inclined to think
that the Downy Woodpecker, and the Brown Creeper, seek the company of the
Titmice, rather than that the latter associate with them. Often indeed
have I watched the busy Chickadees, as they proceeded from tree to tree,
and from branch to branch, whether by the road-side or in the interior
of the forest, when no other birds were with them. The light rustling sound
of their concave wings would intimate their approach as well as their retreat,
as gaily one after another they passed onwards from one spot to another,
chattering, peeping everywhere, and determined as it were, not to suffer
a chink to pass without inspection. Now hanging, back downward, at the
extremity of a twig, its feet almost up to its bill, it would peck at a
berry or a seed until it had devoured it, or it had fallen to the ground:
should the latter be the case, the busy bird would at once fly down, and
hammer at the fruit. To the Black-cap Titmouse the breaking of a hazel-nut
is quite a pleasure, and I have repeatedly seen the feat accomplished not
only by a bird in its natural state, but by one kept in confinement. Courageous
and at times exceedingly tyrannical, it will attack young birds, break
their skulls, and feed upon their flesh, as I have more than once witnessed.
In this habit they resemble the Jays, but in every other they differ entirely
from those birds although the PRINCE of MUSIGNANO has thought fit to assimilate
the two groups. The Chickadee feeds on insects, their larvae, and eggs,
as well as on every sort of small fruit, or berries, including grapes,
acorns, and the seeds of various pines. I have seen them eat the seeds
of the sunflower, the pokeberry, and pears, as well as flesh of all kinds.
Indeed it may be truly called omnivorous. Often, like Jays, you may see
them perched as it were upon their food, and holding it beneath their feet
while pecking at it; but no Jays are seen to hang head downwards at the
end of a branch.
My friend THOMAS M`CULLOCH, Esq. of Halifax, in Nova Scotia, has favoured
me with the following interesting remarks having reference to this species.
"Sometimes I have been inclined to think, that the sight of this bird
is comparatively imperfect, and that it is chiefly indebted to some of
the other senses for its success in obtaining subsistence. This idea may
not be correct, but it seems to derive some support from the little incident
which I am about to mention. While standing at the edge of a patch of newly-felled
wood, over which the fire had recently passed, and left every thing black
in its course, I observed a small flock of these birds coming from the
opposite side of the clearing. Being dressed in black and aware of their
familiarity, I stood perfectly motionless, for the purpose of ascertaining
how near they would approach. Stealing from branch to branch, and peering
for food among the crevices of the prostrate trunks, as they passed along,
onward they came until the foremost settled upon a small twig a few feet
from the spot upon which I stood. After looking about for a short time
it flew and alighted just below the lock of a double-barrelled gun which
I held in a slanting direction below my arm. Being unable however to obtain
a hold, it slided down to the middle of the piece, and then flew away,
jerking its tail, and apparently quite unconscious of having been so near
the deadly weapon. In this country these birds seem to be influenced by
a modification of that feeling by which so many others are induced to congregate
at the close of autumn and seek a more congenial clime. At that period
they collect in large flocks and exhibit all the hurry and bustle of travellers,
who are bent upon a distant journey. If these flocks do not migrate, their
union is soon destroyed, for when the Black-cap Titmice again appear, it
is in small flocks; their former restlessness is gone, and they now exhibit
their wonted care and deliberation in searching for food."
The nest of this species, whether it be placed in the hole of a Woodpecker
or squirrel, or in a place dug by itself, is seldom found at a height exceeding
ten feet. Most of those which I have seen were in low broken or hollowed
stumps only a few feet high. The materials of which it is composed vary
in different districts, but are generally the hair of quadrupeds, in a
considerable quantity, and disposed in the shape of a loose bag or purse,
as in most other species which do not hang their nests outside. Some persons
have said that they lay their eggs on the bare wood, or on the chips left
by Woodpeckers; but this is not the case, in so far as I have examined
them; and in this my observations are confirmed by those of Dr. BREWER
of Boston and Mr. M`CULLOCH of Halifax, who also have inspected nests of
this species. The eggs rarely exceed eight in number they measure five-eighths
of an inch in length, by three-eighths and three-quarters, are rather pointed
at the smaller end, white, slightly sprinkled with minute dots and markings
of little reddish. Those of the first brood are deposited from the middle
of April to that of May; for the second about two months later. The parents
I have thought generally move along with the young of the second brood.
Dr. BREWER says, "on the 20th of June, I found in a single Titmouse's
hole a mass of the hair of the common skunk and moss large enough to weigh
two or more ounces, and sufficient to construct a nest for some of our
larger birds, such for instance as Wilson's Thrush."
Mr. M`CULLOCH found a nest of this bird placed about two feet from the
ground in a small stump, which seemed to have been excavated by the birds
themselves. It contained six young, and was lined entirely with the hair
which cattle, in rubbing themselves, had left upon the stump.
The flight of this species, like that of all our American Titmice, is
short, fluttering, generally only from tree to tree, and is accompanied
with a murmuring sound produced by the concavity of the wings. It is seldom
seen on the ground, unless when it has followed a fruit that has fallen,
or when searching for materials for its nest. It usually roosts in its
nest during winter, and in summer amid the close foliage of firs or evergreens.
In winter, indeed, as well as often in autumn, it is seen near the farm-houses,
and even in villages and towns, busily seeking for food among the trees.
"On seeing a cat, or other object of natural antipathy," says
Mr. NUTTALL, "the Chickadee, like the peevish Jay, scolds in a loud,
angry, and hoarse note, 'tshe, daigh daigh daigh. Among the other notes
of this species, I have heard a call like tshe-de-jay, tshe-de-jay, the
two first syllables being a slender chirp, with the jay strongly pronounced.
The only note of this bird which may be called a song, is one which is
frequently heard at intervals in the depths of the forest, at times of
day usually when all other birds are silent. We then may sometimes hear
in the midst of this solitude two feeble, drawling, clearly whistled, and
rather melancholy notes like 'te-derry, and sometimes ye-perrit, and occasionally,
but more rarely in the same wiry, whistling, solemn tone, 'phebe. The young
in winter also sometimes drawl out these contemplative strains. In all
cases the first syllable is very high and clear, the second word drops
low, and ends like a feeble plaint. This is nearly all the quaint song
ever attempted by the Chickadee. On fine days, about the commencement of
October, I have heard the Chickadee sometimes, for half an hour at a time,
attempt a lively, petulant warble, very different from his ordinary notes.
On these occasions he appears to flirt about, still hunting for his prey,
in an ecstasy of delight and vigour. But after awhile the usual drawling
note again occurs. These birds, like many others, are very subject to the
attacks of vermin, and they accumulate in great numbers around that part
of the head and front which is least accessible to their foot."
BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE, Parus atricapillus, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol.
i. p. 134.
PARUS ATRICAPILLUS, Bonap. Syn., p. 100.
BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE, Nutt. Man., p. 241.
BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE, Parus atricapillus, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol.
iv. p. 374.
Adult Male.
Bill short, straight, strong, compressed, rather obtuse; both mandibles
with the dorsal line slightly convex, the sides sloping and convex, the
edges sharp, that of the upper mandible slightly sinuate. Nostrils basal,
roundish, concealed by the recumbent feathers. Head large, neck short,
body robust. Feet of ordinary length, rather robust; tarsus compressed,
with seven anterior scutella; toes large, the three anterior united as
far as the second joint; the hind one much stronger, and with its claw
nearly as long as the middle toe. Claws large, arched, much compressed,
acute.
Plumage blended, tufty; feathers of the head glossy. Wings of moderate
length, the first quill scarcely half the length of the second, which is
equal to the first secondary, the third and seventh about equal, the fourth
and fifth equal and longest. Tail long, a little arched, emarginate and
rounded, of twelve slender rounded feathers.
Bill brownish-black. Iris dark brown. Feet greyish-blue, as are the
claws. The whole upper part of the head and the hind neck pure black, as
is a large patch on the throat and fore-neck. Between these patches of
black is a band of white, from the base of the bill down the sides of the
neck, becoming broader behind, and encroaching on the back, which, with
the wing-coverts, is ash-grey tinged with brown. Quills dark greyish-brown,
margined with bluish-white, the secondary quills so broadly margined as
to leave a conspicuous white dash on the wing; tail of the same colour,
the feathers similarly edged. Lower parts brownish-white, the sides pale
yellowish-brown.
Length to end of tail 5 1/8 inches, to end of wings 3 7/8, to end of
claws 4 1/2; extent of wing 8 1/4; wing from flexure 2 10/12; tail 2 9/12;
these measurements taken from three males. In another, the bill along the
ridge (4 1/2)/12, along the edge of lower mandible 7/12; tarsus 7/12; hind
toe 3/12, its claw 4/12; middle toe 5/12, its claw 3/12.
Adult Female.
The Female is similar to the male.
Male examined. The tongue is 4 1/2 twelfths long, emarginate and papillate
at the base, flat above, depressed, tapering, the point horny, slit, with
four bristly points. OEsophagus, [b, c, d], 1 1/2 inches long, tapering
at the commencement to the diameter of 2 twelfths, and then continuing
nearly uniform, without dilatation; the proventriculus, [c, d], is not
much enlarged. The stomach, [d, e], is a strong gizzard, of an oblong form
or ovate, 4 twelfths long, 3 twelfths broad, with strong lateral muscles;
its epithelium longitudinally rugous, and of a dark reddish-brown colour.
Intestine 7 1/4 inches long, the diameter of its duodenal portion, [f,
g, h], 2 1/2 twelfths. The rectum, [g, k], is 7 1/2 twelfths long; the
coeca, [j], 1 twelfth long, and 1/4 twelfth in diameter.
The trachea is 1 2/12 inches long, its diameter uniform, 3/4 twelfths,
its rings 42. It is furnished with lateral or contractor muscles, sterno-tracheal,
and four pairs of inferior laryngeal. Bronchi short, of about 10 rings.
Portions copyright © Creative Multimedia Corp., 1990-91, 1992
Published with permisson by Pike Street Industries, Inc.
|
|
|
