For much of winter, the bulk of the birdsong we hear on campus is that of black-capped chickadees. Distinct little passerines, these masked birds are an emblem of Maine’s forests. What many do not know, however, is that chickadees have something to say.
Like many other social birds, black-capped chickadees (one of seven chickadee species and the only one that frequents southern Maine) communicate via a variety of songs and calls. Some, like the two-tone fee-bee, are used by males to attract females and define their territories, although females occasionally sing too. Males also sing a high-pitched see when a dangerous threat approaches quickly. And the species’ namesake call, the characteristic chicka-dee-dee, is used by both males and females to warn other chickadees of predators. The more dees, the more critical the threat.
But what sets chickadees apart from other songbirds is their intelligence. Not only do they have a complex language of which we only understand a fraction, they also have impeccable memories. They’re capable of remembering where thousands of food morsels are located, which is one reason why they can survive cold winters so well and are the first and most frequent visitors to bird feeders put up by humans.
Chickadees are highly social. They form groups in colder months, relying on each other heavily when resources are scarce, and are more monogamous during breeding and nesting months during the warmer seasons. Much ornithological research has indicated that social birds are often the smartest species, because much like us, they must balance individualistic survival knowledge with an ability to negotiate with and understand their peers.
And what makes chickadees even more unique among birds is that other species recognize their intelligence and factor it into their own survival. Remember how more dees in a chicka-dee-dee call means greater threat? Other birds respond to this too, fleeing the area or attacking potential predators after hearing a chickadee’s call.
Fascinatingly, scientists have played these calls for other bird species whose range does not coincide with chickadees and found that these birds respond similarly. So there is something — we may never know what — that resonates with unrelated species about chickadee calls.
In late January, I suction-cupped a plastic bird feeder to my dorm room window in hopes of attracting passing songbirds. Despite its placement near no trees or other perches, the chickadees found my feeder in under two weeks.
Watching from across the room, I can see their complex social structures at play. Only one chickadee fits in the feeder at a time, but the next waits on a street sign a few yards away, and the rest of the flock in a bush across the street. One by one, they take their turn, nabbing nuts and seeds rich in protein and fat — nutrients crucial to maintaining metabolism and body mass in the winter — from my feeder. Chickadees do not sit and eat; rather, they grab a morsel and dart quickly away.
Chickadee intelligence amazes me.The chickadees seem to understand that the glass between us is a barrier. They see me, but they do not flee, and withhold warning calls to their companions. This is a level of intelligence that is unusual in birds, who are often smarter than we think.
These birds are so tiny, so easy to overlook. And yet, they have so much to say and an immense brain to back it up.
Scientists have much yet to learn about the inner workings of a chickadee brain and what goes into their intricate languages and social lives. Most of us will never enter that world of research and the neuron synapses of songbirds will remain a mystery.
But I think we can all learn something by observing the chickadees that flit and call among the treetops on the Quad, along Frye Street, down Alumni Walk, and around the Puddle. If nothing else, I hope we can all stop and recognize a highly intelligent social world parallel yet inaccessible to our own. Perhaps this is a perspective we can all find solace from when our human world feels so destitute and broken. The chickadees will still sing.
