Mountain Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee has surged: up 149% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Mountain Chickadee
The Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) 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 582 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 11 states, most concentrated in the Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau.
- Family
- Paridae · Forest birds
Notable Mountain Chickadee Trends
Mountain Chickadee has surged in surveyed states: up 149% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
Mountain Chickadee Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Mountain Chickadee is projected to rise about 32% by 2029 — from 0.84 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.1 (95% range 0.74–1.5). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±51.1%, with 0% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.1 | 0.71 | 1.4 |
| 2026 | 1.1 | 0.72 | 1.4 |
| 2027 | 1.1 | 0.73 | 1.4 |
| 2028 | 1.1 | 0.74 | 1.4 |
| 2029 | 1.1 | 0.74 | 1.5 |
Where the Mountain Chickadee Is Detected
BBS routes recording Mountain Chickadee, sized by most recent count.
Mountain Chickadee Population Trend by State
| Arizona | +6% | 1970 | 27 |
| California | +42% | 1970 | 122 |
| Colorado | +119% | 1970 | 90 |
| Idaho | +27% | 1973 | 41 |
| Montana | +130% | 1970 | 53 |
| Nevada | -91% | 1981 | 16 |
| New Mexico | +119% | 1970 | 31 |
| Oregon | -15% | 1970 | 70 |
| Utah | +10% | 1970 | 56 |
| Washington | -33% | 1970 | 38 |
| Wyoming | +22% | 1970 | 38 |
Mountain Chickadee Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -53% | 1970 | 37 |
| Great Basin | -17% | 1970 | 110 |
| Northern Rockies | +19% | 1970 | 150 |
| Sierra Nevada | +74% | 1970 | 38 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +96% | 1970 | 173 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +565% | 1980 | 6 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -88% | 1998 | 3 |
| Coastal California | -77% | 1971 | 38 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -30% | 1970 | 19 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -33% | 1977 | 5 |
Mountain Chickadee Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 149% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.