Go Find It!

By MDC | January 1, 2024
From Xplor: January/February 2024
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Look and listen for chickadees in forests, parks, and backyards throughout Missouri. For more on these energetic birds, fly over to mdc.mo.gov/field-guide.

Chickadee

Acrobat Bird

Chickadees often hang upside down to pluck insects from the undersides of branches.

Seed Stasher

Chickadees hide thousands of seeds to eat later. Each snack is stashed in a different spot.

Sound the Alarm!

When a chickadee spots danger, it calls out a warning: chicka-dee-dee-dee. The more dees, the bigger the threat. Other birds freeze until the danger passes.

Cavity Creature

A woodpecker hole or other cavity offers a cozy bedroom for a sleepy chickadee.

Double the Trouble

Two lookalike chickadees live in Missouri. Black-capped chickadees live north of the Missouri River, and Carolina chickadees live to its south.

Also In This Issue

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Red Shouldered Hawk
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Make this mini field guide to learn about Missouri’s birds of prey

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Muskrat
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Hungry muskrats are the architects of the marshes where they live.

This Issue's Staff

Artist – Matt Byrde
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Designer – Marci Porter
Designer – Les Fortenberry
Art Director – Cliff White
Editor – Matt Seek
Subscriptions – Marcia Hale
Magazine Manager – Stephanie Thurber