Boreal Chickadee
Boreal Chickadee has surged: up 241% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Boreal Chickadee
The Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus) is a North American member of the Chickadees & Titmice (Paridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–6 in long (11–15 cm) — a tiny, active songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 156 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 9 states, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Paridae · Forest birds
Notable Boreal Chickadee Trends
No notable trend signals for Boreal Chickadee. See the full index history below.
Boreal Chickadee Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Boreal Chickadee is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.05 (95% range 0.03–0.06). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±33.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| 2026 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| 2027 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| 2028 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| 2029 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
Where the Boreal Chickadee Is Detected
BBS routes recording Boreal Chickadee, sized by most recent count.
Boreal Chickadee Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +113% | 1978 | 74 |
| Maine | -90% | 1976 | 36 |
| Michigan | -74% | 1975 | 12 |
| Minnesota | -31% | 1981 | 10 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| New Hampshire | -81% | 1968 | 6 |
| New York | +115% | 1978 | 7 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Wisconsin | -44% | 1973 | 5 |
Boreal Chickadee Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | +23% | 1995 | 5 |
| BCR 4 | +137% | 1978 | 61 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -30% | 1991 | 7 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -72% | 1973 | 27 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -90% | 1968 | 52 |
Boreal Chickadee Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 241% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.