John Healer, age 11, of Fargo, N.D., for his question:

HOW DID THE CHICKADEE GET ITS NAME?

Chickadee is the name of a small bird that is common in North America. It belongs to the titmouse family. It received its name because its call sounds like this: "chick a dee dee dee."

Seeds and small fruit are the favorite items on the chickadee's diet, although the main food items are tiny harmful insects and their eggs. Farmers like this bird.

The most common member of the family is the black capped chickadee that is found throughout Canada and in the northern United States, south to the Alleghenies and Rockies. It's about five inches long. In addition to a black cap, it has a black throat patch, dark lead colored feathers above and light gray feathers below.

Other family members include the chestnut backed chickadee, the mountain chickadee of the west and the Hudsonian chickadee of New England.