Black-chinned Hummingbird

Identification

The black-chinned hummingbird is a small bird, measuring just 8.25 cm (3.25 inches) in length. Adults are metallic green above with white-gray underparts and green flanks, featuring a long, straight, slender bill. The most distinctive feature of adult males is their black face and chin paired with a glossy purple gorget that shimmers iridescent purple when accurately exposed to sunlight, creating a striking ring below the black chin feathers. Males also display a dark forked tail. Females lack the throat patch and have a dark rounded tail with white tips instead. Juveniles resemble adult females but show buff margins on their dorsal feathers, and young males may display purple throat feathers. The species can be distinguished from several similar hummingbirds including broad-tailed, rufous, calliope, Allen's, lucifer, Anna's, and Costa's hummingbirds.

Range & Habitat

Black-chinned hummingbirds occupy a broad range across the western United States, reaching north into southern British Columbia, east to Oklahoma, and south into Mexico. This migratory species winters as far south as Mexico. They thrive in diverse habitats spanning from deserts to mountain forests and urban areas, including mountains, woodlands, orchards, meadows, and chaparral. Their breeding habitat typically consists of open, semiarid areas, usually near water sources. They also inhabit more moist environments such as orchards, shaded canyons, and riparian woods. Notably, males and females use different habitats from one another for their breeding territories.

Behaviour & Diet

Black-chinned hummingbirds are highly territorial, particularly during breeding season, displaying aggressive behavior around feeders and small feeding sites. However, when numerous individuals and multiple food sources are present in an area, territoriality decreases. Males perform elaborate diving displays, plunging 40–60 feet and producing an audible trill as air passes through their feathers. During courtship, males execute "pendulum" displays, flying back and forth in wide U-shaped arcs with whirring sounds, and buzz in short flights before perched females.

These birds feed primarily on nectar from flowers using a long extendable tongue, and also catch insects on the wing. While feeding on nectar, they assist in plant pollination. Females construct well-camouflaged nests 6–12 feet above ground in shrubs or trees, using plant fibers, spider web silk, downy feathers, and lichens. They often nest near active nests of larger predatory birds, a strategy that appears to reduce nest predation. Females lay two white eggs and may breed 2–3 times per year, with incubation lasting 13–16 days and fledging occurring at approximately 20–21 days.

Best Time & Places to See It

Black-chinned hummingbirds are most readily observed during their breeding season in open, semiarid western habitats, particularly near water sources. Spring and summer offer the best viewing opportunities as birds return from their Mexican wintering grounds. Look for them in orchards, chaparral, riparian woods, shaded canyons, and increasingly in urban gardens throughout the western United States and British Columbia. Feeders and flowering plants attract them reliably during the breeding season.

Photography Tips

To photograph the signature purple gorget, ensure your subject is positioned with accurate sunlight exposure—the iridescent plumage only displays its characteristic glossy purple in proper lighting conditions. Males' dramatic diving displays and pendulum flight patterns during courtship offer dynamic photography opportunities, though their rapid wing beats and aerial maneuvers demand fast shutter speeds. Their low-pitched wing hum while hovering makes audio recording a worthwhile complement to visual documentation. Patience near flowering plants and feeders will yield close-up opportunities, particularly during breeding season when males are most active and territorial.