The chickadees are a group of North American birds in the family Paridae included in the genus Poecile. Species found in North America are referred to as chickadees; species found elsewhere in the world are called tits. They are small-sized birds overall, usually having the crown of the head and throat patch distinctly darker than the body. They are at least 6 to 14 centimeters (2.4 to 5.5 inches) in size.
## Schedule
Their name reputedly comes from the fact that their calls make a distinctive "chick-a-dee-dee-dee", though their normal call is "fee-bee", and the "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" call is an alarm call. The number of "dees" depends on the predator.
