December 15 , 2000

     Outdoor Journal

Even on these cold December mornings we sometimes hear the black-capped chickadees whistling "fee-bee" over and over again near our feeding stations.  It is a matter of speculation whether the "phoebe" call is the true song of the chickadee.  It is heard most often in early spring, but we hear it throughout the winter also, many times on cold, cloudy days.  We even hear chickadees whistling in the heat of summer and on crisp autumn days.

In a clear sweet whistle, the chickadee sounds two notes of equal length, the second tone lower in pitch than the first, making the whistled "fee-bee" sound.  Frequently the second note has a slight waver in the middle as if the bird sang a "fee-beyee" rather than "fee-bee."

Those who confuse the "phoebe" song of the black-capped chickadee with the well-enunciated "phoe-be" or "fi-bree" of the eastern phoebe might be interested to know that their call is not whistled like the "phoebe" song of the chickadee.  Since the eastern phoebe is a summer resident, usually arriving in April and leaving in September, its song is only heard in the spring and summer.