An additional field mark that sometimes can help is the lower edge of the 
black bib. In Carolina it is a sharply or cleanly ends and in Black-capped 
it tends to be more of a course ending or blending often referred to as 
jagged. Sometimes birds, even in the hand during banding, can be very 
tricky to identify and often it takes a combination of field marks and 
measurements to do so. Over the many years of banding I have done I have 
an occasional Carolina that was exceptionally large but really had all 
field marks of the Carolina and was not a Black-capped although the 
measurements alone could have created a misidentification.

Cheers,
Kathy

M. Kathleen Klimkiewicz, Biologist
USGS Patuxent WRC BBL
12100 Beech Forest RD STE 4037
Laurel MD 20708-4037
301-497-5795 work
Fax 301-497-5717

Report bands: reportband.gov and get instant feedback!
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl 





"George M. Jett" <> 
Sent by: Maryland Birds & Birding <>
03/21/2008 10:23 AM
Please respond to
"George M. Jett" <>


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Subject
[MDOSPREY] Carolina v Black-capped Chickadee






Folks

To add to the discussions about the differences between Carolina and 
Black-capped Chickadee, I quote David Sibley, page 374, from The Sibley 
Guide to Birds. 2000.

"Overall, Black-capped is brighter, more colorful, and more contrastingly 
marked then Carolinas;  it is larger, fluffier [must be because it is 
colder], larger-headed, and longer-tailed, with darker tail and wings that 
have brighter white edges;  its check-patch is entirely white (Carolina 
blends to pale gray at rear, and it has a greenish back and buffy flanks 
(Carolina is duller grayish); its song is lower-pitched and its call 
slower.  All these features are relative and subject to variation, but in 
combination they should serve to identify most birds.  Hybrids are 
recorded in the narrow zone of overlap (there is disagreement over the 
extent of hybridization).  Song is learned, so not very helpful for 
identification as individual birds can learn the "wrong" song type. " 

There is also an article in the March/April Birding magazine titled A 
Closer...Listen: Unraveling Chickadee Vocalizations by Brian Taber.  I 
have not read the article yet but it might be helpful.

Good luck.

George