Not crested, bill short, rather strong, conic, entire, nostrils at the
base of the bill and concealed by projecting feathers. Wings moderate,
with the first quill spurious, fourth and fifth usually longest and
nearly equal, tail rather long, legs and feet rather robust, claws
curved and sharp. Colors usually cinereous and black.
This genus originally included all the birds now usually regarded as
constituting a family of many genera, species of which inhabit nearly
all the countries of the world. As restricted, it appears properly to
embrace numerous species without crests found in Asia, Europe, and
America; nearly all of which have the upper part of the head and throat
black. A further division has however been made by Professor Kaup, of
Darmstadt; and all the American, with some European and Asiatic
non-crested species, form his genus _Pœcila_.
The American species are as follows:
1. Parus atricapillus. Linn. Syst. Nat. I. p. 341 (1766). The
black-capped Chickadee.
Length (of skin) about 5 inches. Head and neck above and large space on
the throat black, cheeks and sides of the neck white, entire plumage of
the body above cinereous, slightly tinged with brownish olive, below
ashy white tinged with brownish. Bill and feet dark. Sexes alike.
Hab. Northern and Middle States of North America. Spec. in Mus. Acad.
Philada.
2. Parus carolinensis. Audubon Orn. Biog. II. p. 341, (1834.) The
Carolina Chickadee.
Length (of skin) about 4¼ inches. Head and neck above and large space on
the throat black, cheeks and sides of the neck white. Entire plumage of
the body above cinereous, slightly tinged with brownish olive, below
ashy white tinged with brownish. Bill and feet dark. Sexes alike.
Hab. Middle and Southern States of North America. Spec. in Mus. Acad.
Philada.
Obs. Very similar to the preceding, but easily recognized by its smaller
size.
3. Parus septentrionalis. Harris, Proc. Acad. Philada. II. p. 300, (Dec.
1845.) The long-tailed chickadee.
Length (of skin) about 6 inches. Head above and space on the throat
black, cheeks and sides of the neck white. Entire plumage of the body
above cinereous, strongly tinged with reddish brown, below ashy white,
tinged with yellowish brown, especially on the sides and flanks,
external web of outer tail feathers nearly pure white. Bill and feet
dark. Tail comparatively longer than in either of the preceding species.
Hab. Missouri and the Rocky Mountains. Great Salt Lake. Spec. in Mus.
Acad. Philada. and in the National Collection, Washington city.
Obs. A species related to, but quite distinct from either of the
preceding. It is larger, and the specimens which I have seen have the
bill longer and more pointed, the tail much longer, the black space on
the head more restricted, and the general coloring more tinged with
brown. The white outer edges of the external tail feathers is a
well-marked character.
4. Parus montanus. Gambel, Proc. Acad. Philada. I. p. 259, (April,
1843.)
Length (of skin) about 5 inches. Head and neck above, line through the
eye, space on the throat and upper part of the breast black. Line over
the eye, large space on the cheeks and side of the neck white. Body
above cinereous, below ashy white tinged with brownish on the flanks,
bill and legs dark.
Hab. California. Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. This western species is readily distinguished from all others of
North America by the broad white line over the eye. Its bill is longer
than in the typical species.
5. Parus hudsonicus. Forster, Philosoph. Trans. lxii. p. 430, (London,
1772.)
Length (of skin) about 5 inches. Head and neck above deep ferruginous
brown, large space on the throat brownish black, cheeks white. Body
above brownish cinereous, below ashy white, sides and flanks deep
reddish chestnut brown, bill and feet lead colored. Sexes very similar.
Hab. British America, and Northern States of the Union. Spec. in Mus.
Acad. Philada.
Obs. Quite a distinct and well-marked species, erroneously supposed by
some European writers to be the young of _P. atricapillus_. It has been
found breeding in the State of Maine, by our friend Dr. Brewer of
Boston.