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Boreal Chickadee : Boreal Chickadee Cekepipipiiq Of the four species of chickadee in Alaska, three of them are found in the Y-K Delta. These are the Black-capped, Boreal and Gray-headed, although the last one is only an accidental, probably blown in from Siberia. The Black-capped is the most common, and is sometimes spotted even out on the Bering Sea coast. Their close relative the Boreal chickadee is mostly found where there are thick stands of mature spruce trees. I've always thought of Boreals as country cousins of Black-caps. Compared to Black-caps and other chickadee species ranging far to the south, the slow almost drawling spish of a Boreal is a fascination. I love to listen to them when I encounter them in the forest, and when I spish back they immediately come over to investigate. Sometimes in the fall I've had a dozen of them around me wondering where the noise was coming from. Their Yupik name Cekepipipiiq is also the name for the other two chickadees and, as with the generic English name, is the same as the sound it makes. Another written version of the Yupik name is Cekepiipiiq. Their scientific moniker Parus hudsonicus means "Hudsonian titmouse" or "the little bird that lives in the northern forest." Like other chickadee species, Boreals feed on insects, spiders, seeds and animal fat. They are monogamous, possibly mate for life and remain together in the same general area all year. Their mating ritual usually starts from the top of a spruce tree, with the male chasing the female in a downward spiral around the tree. Mating occurs after sweet solicitation calls by the female during which she also begs for food from the male. Boreal chickadees nest in the holes of trees, usually either a natural cavity or one hacked out by woodpeckers, although they will also build their own. Both male and female help with the excavation, but only the female builds the nest inside, using moss, feathers, animal hair and plant down. As many as nine white, reddish brown dotted eggs are laid, and only the female broods them. During the 11-16 day incubation period the male feeds his mate. After the eggs hatch the female stays home to brood the young while her mate works very hard indeed bringing home the bacon. As the nestlings grow larger both adults feed them until finally at about 18 days the young fledge and learn to provide for themselves, foraging for food rich in carbohydrates and storing much of it for retrieval during the winter. But winter nights are so long in Alaska that Boreals and other chickadee species have to do more than simply get fat on rich foods. To get through these long frigid foodless nights they roost in tree cavities then go into a state of "regulated hypothermia," which means they drop their body temperature as much as 12 degrees celsius below their normal daytime body temperature. As a result, they don't have to expend as much energy, stored in fat reserves, to heat their bodies. They also have other cold-weather adaptations. By shivering their muscles, they use stored fat reserves to generate heat and to regulate their body temperature when cooling down at night. They also have denser plumage than southern birds their size, a trait that doesn't make for the most graceful flying, but provides the insulation they need to successfully survive Alaskan winters. Next time you meet these hardy brown-capped midgets on the winter trail, stop and watch them for a moment, and listen to their friendly calls. And reflect, as I do, on how wonderful it is that they stay here year around to keep us company even in our own back yard. » List of Yupik Birds

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