noun

chickadee

CHIK-uh-dee/ˈtʃɪkədiː/

A small North American songbird with a dark cap on its head.

A black-capped chickadee perches on the twig.

A single black-capped chickadee perched on a slender bare twig, shown in three-quarter side view with its dark cap, white cheeks, black throat patch, and compact body clearly visible.

Etymology

The name roughly imitates the bird’s call, especially its repeated “dee-dee-dee” ending. It identifies the dark-capped songbird through a recognizable feature of its sound.

In context

ORCA Media18:03

I'm going to use a Carolina Chickadee as an example that is the chickadee that is at my feeder during the winter time

North Branch Nature Center - Biodiversity Jamboree: Nature's Best Hope

More examples

The chickadee's dark cap stood out against its pale cheeks.
Several chickadees visited the feeder.
We heard a chickadee calling from the birch tree.

Forms

chickadee · chickadees

Similar words

titmouse: Both are small related songbirds; chickadee identifies a different group with characteristic calls.
sparrow: A sparrow is a different kind of songbird, often with a stronger seed-cracking bill.