The black-capped chickadee is widely distributed throughout North America, ranging from the northern United States to southern Canada and all the way up to Alaska and Yukon.

It has the ability to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, allowing it to conserve energy.

The population of black-capped chickadees is thought to be increasing, and they are considered a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In 1760, French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the black-capped chickadee in his book Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Canada.

He used the French name La mésange a tête noire de Canada and the Latin Parus Canadensis Atricapillus.

[2] Although Brisson gave it Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

[3] In 1766, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus published the 12th edition of his Systema Naturae, which included 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson.

Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Parus atricapillus and cited Brisson's work.

[5] Though originally placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggested that separating Poecile more adequately expressed these birds' relationships.

They are presented below in the taxonomic order set by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC)[13] The black-capped chickadee has a black cap and "bib" with white cheeks.

[11] These vocalizations are likely an evolutionary adaptation to their habitat; they live and feed in dense vegetation, and even when the flock is close together, individual birds tend to be out of each other's visual range.

During the non-breeding season, mixed species flocks may form to help with foraging and predator avoidance, and may include nuthatches, woodpeckers, kinglets, and vireos among others.

[24] Red-breasted nuthatch have even been observed reacting more strongly to higher-threat alarm calls, indicating some understanding of their syntax.

[19] This noise is among the most complex of the calls; in one population of chickadees, the gargle contained 2 to 9 instances of 14 distinct notes, all sung within half a second.

Strings of juvenile sub-gargles are almost perfectly continuous and both low and unstable in frequency, yet lacking multiple syllables.

When their vocal abilities are fully developed, a stable frequency is produced and a variety of syllables is heard that vary in length.

[19] Other calls which have been noted include a "broken dee", "variable see", hiss, snarl twitter, "high zee", and tseet.

[27] They range from western Alaska, through southern Yukon and throughout the Canadian provinces, from British Columbia in the west to the Maritimes and Newfoundland in the east.

They do not vary their habitat between breeding and non-breeding seasons, although in the winter irregular bird migration and dispersal may occur.

The birds hop along tree branches searching for food, sometimes hanging upside down or hovering; they may make short flights to catch insects in the air.

[32] Items are stored singly in various sites such as bark, dead leaves, clusters of conifer needles, or knothole.

[37][38] This variation in size also exists within the black-capped chickadee population based on the region they inhabit, with those who live in harsher climates (such as Alaska) having larger hippocampi.

[40] The size of the hippocampus within black-capped chickadees also varies throughout the year, being the largest in October, and the smallest in February.

[41][42] Foraging behaviour in the winter tends to decrease, primarily being affected by lower temperatures and stronger winds.

[43] In parts of the black-capped chickadee's range with very cold winters, such as Minnesota, survival rates are affected by access to supplemental food.

The postjuvenal molt at the end of the first summer of life is partial, involving only the body feathers and wing coverts.

Dominant individuals control access to preferred resources and restrict subordinates to foraging in novel, riskier, or suboptimal environments.

[11]: 192–193 A 2011 study demonstrated that this results in subordinate individuals being less cautious approaching novel foods and objects compared to their dominant counterparts.

Black-capped chickadees are largely monogamous during this time, although occasionally males are observed mating with multiple females.

[61] Black-capped chickadees are primarily subject to predation by birds of prey, including owls, hawks, and shrikes.