Carolina Chickadee adults are 4.5–5.1 in. long, and have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their underparts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is grey. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a moderately long tail.
Very similar to the black-capped chickadee, the Carolina chickadee is distinguished by the slightly browner wing with the greater coverts brown (not whitish fringed) and the white fringing on the secondary feathers slightly less conspicuous; the tail is also slightly shorter and more square-ended.
These little fellas are a bit hard to photograph because they are so quick. They quickly swoop in from a tree to my feeders, grab a seed, and whoosh… they’re gone.