Year round, this chickadee can be seen in the northern areas of the continent, with the exception of the boreal north. This chickadee range includes the Pacific northwest up to Alaska as well as the Atlantic northeast up to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Too, the southern boundary of their ranges in the bottom of Oregon, Idaho, eastern parts of Nevada, the bottom of Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virgina, Maryland and all of the Appalachian mountain area.

Black-capped chickadees are found in deciduous and mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, especially near forest edges. They are commonly found near willows and cottonwoods, and like to make their nests in the snags of alder and birch trees. Feeders and nest boxes can be used to attract chickadees to suburban backyards.

The black-capped chickadee has a black cap and a black bib with. It has white sides to the face. Its under parts are white with rusty brown on the flanks. Its back is gray and the tail is normally slate-gray. This bird has a short dark beak about a quarter inch long, short rounded wings and a long tail.

Sexes look alike, but males are slightly larger and longer than females.

The black-capped chickadee is a small, nonmigratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.

It is known for its capability to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights. This bird is also known for its boldness near humans, even feeding from the hand. Too, it has a good spatial memory capable of relocating caches where it stores food.