This tiny little bird is a year-round resident of the Triangle area. The black-capped chickadee is very similar, but if you see a chickadee around here, it’s gonna be the Carolina variety. You can easily attract these cheerful birds to your yard because they love bird feeders and happily eat sunflower seeds along with insects, spiders, and fruit.

When you hear their “chicka-dee-dee” call they are often alerting birds to a potential predator in the area. The more “dees” at the end of the call, the more threatening the intruder. Other species pay attention to chickadees serving as “guard birds.”

My original painting is watercolor on 8×10” paper. This is the third or fourth time I’ve painted a chickadee. This one will be available as print, notecard, or postcard.