Dominance Relationships of Black-Capped Chickadees and Their Changing Nature with the Onset of Spring

Abstract

Black-capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) were studied near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the transitional period of the year 1986 (February-April) during which time the birds began to move from the non-breeding winter flocks into the breeding. territories. Dominance hierarchies were constructed and compared in order to detect any systematic trends that could result from hormonal and social changes. These hierarchies were correlated with age and feeding frequency to see if any relationship existed between these two factors. Flock structure and dominance relationships are discussed in an effort to explain the data.