The Black-capped Chickadee in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountain Province: A Review of its Ecology and Distribution
Simpson MB. 1977. The Black-capped Chickadee in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountain Province: A Review of its Ecology and Distribution. The Chat. :79-86
ABSTRACT: The Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus) is a common resident through much of Canada and the northern United States. South of Pennsylvania, however, the species' breeding range becomes increasingly restricted to the Appalachian highlands; and the bird is replaced by the Carolina Chickadee (Parus carolinensis) in the coastal plain, piedmont, and lower mountains of the Southeast. Although the southern breeding limit of the Black-cap occurs in the Blue Ridge Mountain Province of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina (A.O.U. 1957), the distribution and status of the bird are not well understood in the region (Pearson et al.1959). In recent years, sight records of the Black-capped Chickadee have been reported with increasing frequency from areas where there is no valid evidence of their presence. In hope of clarifying the situation, this paper reviews the history and presently known status of the species in the mountains of western North Carolina.