chickadee

noun chick·a·dee \ ˈchi-kə-(ˌ)dē \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of chickadee

: any of several small North American oscine birds (genus Poecile of the family Paridae) that are related to the titmice, usually have the crown of the head distinctly darker than the body, and have sometimes been placed especially formerly in a related genus (Parus)

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Recent Examples of chickadee from the Web

These are also the areas where the chickadee nests and breeds, generally at elevations above 3,700 feet.

— ernie cowan, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Chickadee is common sight in mountains," 15 Mar. 2018
When seeds are readily available, the chickadee will often stash them for later use.

— ernie cowan, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Chickadee is common sight in mountains," 15 Mar. 2018
Cavity nesters like Eastern bluebirds, Carolina chickadees and tufted titmice already know where the boxes are.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "Watch for the annual visit by red-winged blackbirds | Charlotte Observer," 16 Feb. 2018
Catch the soft sounds of winter: a frozen tree creaking, a stream gurgling under the ice, a restless chickadee.

— grant segall, cleveland.com, "Enjoy the wilds in winter with some of the season's best trails," 8 Feb. 2018
Combined with the fresh mountain air, deep blue sky filled with puffy white clouds, a nearly imperceptible breeze, the chirping of bouncing chickadees and the solitude, the moment was pure magic.

— ernie cowan outdoors, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Woodpecker spotting leads to another ‘sit and see’ session," 26 Dec. 2017
Blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches and titmice will come for the black-oil sunflower seed.

— evan macdonald, cleveland.com, "No one harmed in Christmas house fire in Broadview Heights," 25 Dec. 2017
The sound of the flowing river was broken by the chirping of a black-capped chickadee and a white-breasted nuthatch.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Local residents count in national effort to record bird population," 18 Dec. 2017
Nuthatches sound like a squeak toy, for instance, and chickadees have a plaintive call.

— jo ellen meyers sharp, Indianapolis Star, "Birds offer bits of nature outside the window," 17 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chickadee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of chickadee

imitative

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First Known Use: 1838

in the meaning defined above

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CHICKADEE Defined for English Language Learners

chickadee

noun

Definition of chickadee for English Language Learners

: a common, small American bird

CHICKADEE Defined for Kids

chickadee

noun chick·a·dee \ ˈchi-kə-dē \

Definition of chickadee for Students

: a small mostly grayish bird with the top of the head black

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