{"id":59097,"date":"2019-07-18T04:49:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T10:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=59097"},"modified":"2025-05-09T10:12:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T15:12:16","slug":"molting-black-capped-chickadee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/07\/18\/molting-black-capped-chickadee\/","title":{"rendered":"Molting Black-capped Chickadee"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MoltingMolting Black-capped Chickadee – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

A few days ago I shared an image of a messy looking Orange-crowned Warbler<\/span><\/a> and today the messy looking bird I am writing about is a Black-capped Chickadee that I photographed two days ago in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

One way I can tell that this Black-capped Chickadee is molting is because some of the primary flight feathers have been replaced and some are worn and tattered looking.<\/p>\n

The throat of this chickadee doesn’t look bad in this photo but in others where it was singing I could see some bare skin that typically we would never see.<\/p>\n

Some of the body feathers look extremely worn and that could be because of taking care of its young combined with molting. Birds of North America (BNA) online states that Black-capped Chickadees molt from July through October so this one is on the early end of the molt period.<\/p>\n

This Black-capped Chickadee’s plumage isn’t in prime condition. I feel like my work as a bird photographer includes taking images of them looking great and not so great because it is all part of the cycle of their lives.<\/p>\n

This Black-capped Chickadee was perched at the very top of a serviceberry for a few seconds before it flew off and disappeared. So far this year I haven’t seen any chickadee fledglings or chicks but I hope to see some soon.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Black-capped Chickadee photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Black-capped Chickadee’s plumage isn’t in prime condition but I feel like my work as a bird photographer includes taking images of them looking great and not so great because it is all part of the cycle of their lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,6720,1731,26,773],"tags":[4004,6523,6722,3940,6273,6274,2312,2313,4069,4104,6721,6698,6522,2317],"class_list":["post-59097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-black-capped-chickadees","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-amelanchier-utahensis","tag-black-capped-chickadee","tag-canyon","tag-chickadee","tag-chickadees","tag-molt","tag-molting","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-poecile-atricapillus","tag-serviceberry","tag-utah-serviceberry","tag-worn"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-worn-adult-mia-mcpherson-0255.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-fnb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53569,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/13\/black-capped-chickadees-photographed-in-a-mountain-canyon\/","url_meta":{"origin":59097,"position":0},"title":"Black-capped Chickadees Photographed In A Mountain Canyon","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent some time yesterday morning observing, photographing and enjoying the songs and calls of Black-capped Chickadees in a high mountain canyon. Chickadees always bring a smile to my lips and yesterday was no exception.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee about to take flight, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-taking-flight-mia-mcpherson-4428.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-taking-flight-mia-mcpherson-4428.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-taking-flight-mia-mcpherson-4428.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-taking-flight-mia-mcpherson-4428.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":94136,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/08\/28\/black-capped-chickadee-photos-foraging-in-common-mulleins\/","url_meta":{"origin":59097,"position":1},"title":"Black-capped Chickadee Photos – Foraging in Common Mulleins","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago I was able to spend a few minutes taking Black-capped Chickadee photos as small flock of them foraged in Common Mulleins.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee and Common Mulleins, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6519.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6519.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6519.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6519.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59688,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/23\/calling-black-capped-chickadee-perched-in-the-open\/","url_meta":{"origin":59097,"position":2},"title":"Calling Black-capped Chickadee Perched In The Open","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago this Black-capped Chickadee and several other others were moving through a willow thicket in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains where I had been focusing on photographing warblers, tanagers, and vireos.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee calling, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-singing-mia-mcpherson-3538.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-singing-mia-mcpherson-3538.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-singing-mia-mcpherson-3538.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-singing-mia-mcpherson-3538.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":73416,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/04\/two-black-capped-chickadee-photos-from-this-week\/","url_meta":{"origin":59097,"position":3},"title":"Two Black-capped Chickadee Photos From This Week","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm happy to have had these two little Black-capped Chickadees in my viewfinder this week. I enjoy seeing, hearing, and photographing these perky primarily black and white birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee close up in the Wasatch Mountains, East Canyon, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1218.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1218.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1218.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Autumn","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Typically I would prefer that all of the body of this Black-capped Chickadee was free of the out of focus elements in front of it but visually the abstract jumble of Autumn colored leaves stimulates my eyes and my brain.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee and Autumn leaves, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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