 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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-1.15 (-2.19 - -0.14)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Unlike the Black-capped Chickadee, the Boreal Chickadee is restricted mainly to coniferous forests. It irrupts at intervals of 3 to 8 years to areas south of its breeding range (Dunne 2006). A permanent resident across the boreal in a belt extending from western Alaska to Newfoundland, extends only a short distance south into a few US states.
The Boreal Chickadee prefers mature coniferous forests, where it probes cones, bark, and needles for insects, berries, and seeds, some of which it stores (likely for winter use). Breeding bird census plots in Saskatchewan boreal forest show they prefer mature or over-mature conifer-dominated forest with a dense crown cover (Smith 2008b); they use balsam fir more than expected (Cumming 2004), and also occur in spruce muskeg and mixed coniferous-deciduous stands. If food is scarce in winter, the Boreal Chickadee can disperse south where it still seeks out isolated coniferous plantations or well-treed coniferous shelterbelts.
A true northerner, the Boreal Chickadee is a common permanent resident of the boreal and subarctic regions. It is a rare to uncommon winter visitant to the parklands (south to Marsden, Biggar, Regina, and Wauchope) and very rare in the grasslands (Moose Jaw) (Smith 1996).
Original text by Candace Neufeld. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Boreal Chickadee in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Boreal Chickadee in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=BOCH&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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