West · Pacific Flyway
Chickadees in Arizona
Chickadees in Arizona come down to 2 species with regular eBird records, led by the Mountain Chickadee. Together they account for 57,364 of the 20 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 0.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Mountain Chickadee and Mexican Chickadee. Chickadees are the small, round, black-capped birds that visit feeders all winter and lead the mixed flocks of nuthatches and kinglets moving through the woods. Each region has its own species, and their ranges barely overlap.
Chickadees in Arizona: every species, most-reported first
Every chickadee with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) — 50,331 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Mexican Chickadee (Poecile sclateri) — 7,033 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in August.
When to see chickadees in Arizona
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, chickadees are most prominent in August, July and September and least in January and March. 1 of the 2 species is year-round — Mountain Chickadee — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Mexican Chickadee arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak August).
Attracting chickadees to Arizona backyards
Black-oil sunflower seed, suet, and a nest box with a small entrance hole are the three things chickadees want. They are among the first birds to find a new feeder and among the tamest at it.
In Arizona the chickadee most likely to turn up is the Mountain Chickadee. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Chickadees in Arizona: FAQ
How many species of chickadees are there in Arizona?
2 species of chickadees have regular eBird records in Arizona (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Mountain Chickadee and Mexican Chickadee.
What is the most common chickadee in Arizona?
The Mountain Chickadee, with 50,331 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Mexican Chickadee with 7,033. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see chickadees in Arizona?
August, July and September, when the combined share of Arizona eBird records belonging to chickadees is highest. Summer visitors such as the Mexican Chickadee arrive around April.
Are there chickadees in Arizona?
Yes. the Mountain Chickadee (50,331 eBird records, year-round) and the Mexican Chickadee (7,033 eBird records, summer visitor) are regularly recorded in Arizona.
More birds in Arizona
Chickadees in other states
Chickadees in Arizona: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Arizona records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Paridae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.