Black-chinned Hummingbird

Archilochus alexandriOrder: APODIFORMES Family: Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

Codes: Common Name: BCHU Scientific Name: ARCALE ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178033

Breeding Location:

Grassland with scattered trees, Streams, upland, Scrub vegetation areas

Breeding Type:

Polygamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

White

Number of Eggs:

1 - 3

Incubation Days:

13 - 16

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Plant down and spider's silk.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Black-chinned Hummingbird: Medium-sized hummingbird with metallic green upperparts and gray underparts with white breast and green-washed flanks. Head appears black overall with a white spot behind eye; cap is very dark green. Throat is iridescent violet; bill is long and slightly decurved. Forked tail is dark green with black outer tail feathers. Female has green upperparts, gray-green cap, white spot behind eye, dark-spotted pale gray throat, and green-washed pale gray underparts; tail is dark green with white corners. Immature resembles female; immature male may show violet on lower throat in the fall.

Range and Habitat

Black-chinned Hummingbird: Breeds from British Columbia south to Mexico and central Texas. Spends winters in Mexico. Preferred habitats include mountain and alpine meadows, woodlands, canyons with thickets, chaparral, and orchards.

Breeding and Nesting

Black-chinned Hummingbird: One to three white eggs are laid in a nest made of fluffy plant wool and lichens woven together with spider webs and built in a shrub or low tree. Incubation ranges from 13 to 16 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Black-chinned Hummingbird: Diet consists of nectar, pollen, insects, and sugar water from feeders; prefers nectar from flowers of tree tobacco, scarlet larkspur, and desert ocotillo.

Readily Eats

Sugar Water, Commercial instant nectars

Vocalization

Black-chinned Hummingbird: Song is a repetitive "teew" or "tchew." When defending feeding territory or giving chase, combines the "eew" note with high-pitched twitters and squeaks.

Similar Species

Black-chinned Hummingbird: Ruby-throated Hummingbird has red throat, shorter bill, greener crown, buff wash on sides, and a different voice. Costa's Hummingbird is smaller and has grayer upperparts and whiter underparts.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbird: Medium hummingbird with metallic green upperparts, gray underparts, white breast, green-washed flanks. Head appears black overall with white spot behind eye; cap is very dark green. Throat is iridescent violet; bill is long and slightly decurved. Forked tail is dark green with black outer tail feathers.

● Song: "teew-teew-twee", " tchew-tchew-twhew"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-chinned Hummingbird: Diet consists of nectar, pollen, insects, and sugar water from feeders; prefers nectar from flowers of tree tobacco, scarlet larkspur, and desert ocotillo.

● Breeding & nesting: Black-chinned Hummingbird: One to three white eggs are laid in a nest made of fluffy plant wool and lichens woven together with spider webs and built in a shrub or low tree. Incubation ranges from 13 to 16 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Black-chinned Hummingbird: Ruby-throated Hummingbird has red throat, shorter bill, greener crown, buff wash on sides, and a different voice. Costa's Hummingbird is smaller and has grayer upperparts and whiter underparts.

Flight Pattern

Swift strong direct flight., Can fly backward.

● Range & Habitat: Black-chinned Hummingbird: Breeds from British Columbia south to Mexico and central Texas. Spends winters in Mexico. Preferred habitats include mountain and alpine meadows, woodlands, canyons with thickets, chaparral, and orchards.

^BreedingPolygamous, Solitary nester

^Population

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.1 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Outer tail feathers

The tail feathers farthest from the center.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America