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The Black-chinned Hummingbird| Cousin of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Zoe Ann Hinds
The Black-chinned Hummingbird is the more western cousin of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
This type of hummingbird can be found in deciduous and evergreen oak woodlands, riparian forests, chaparral, desert washes, canyon bottoms and our gardens. The Black-chinned Hummingbird prefers sites that have a low percentage of canopy cover.
This type of hummingbird is generally duller in color than the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and it also has a shorter tail and longer bill then their western cousin the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The Black-chinned Hummingbird has been observed in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.
This type of hummingbird usually Winters in Mexico, but has also been occasionally known to do so in southern Texas, southern Louisiana, northwestern Florida, and southern California.
Male Black-chinned Hummingbirds are unmistakable when you have a clear view of them. The same cannot be said of the females. Females are similar to a number of other female hummingbirds, and the best way to tell them from the Calliope Hummingbird and species in the genus Selasphorus is by their lack of rufous on the flanks and in the tail.
Anna's Hummingbirds are larger and have grayer chests, while Costa's Hummingbirds differ only in subtleties of facial pattern and tail pattern. Black-chinned Hummingbird females are not safely separable from female Ruby-throateds except in the hand.
The best way to distinguish the Black-chinned Hummingbird from all other hummingbird species, except the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, is by their call. When trying to identify the male Black-chinned Hummingbird there are several distinct identifying features to look for. The adult male has a more distinct black chin over purple gorget, looks black headed, has a short and slightly forked tail, their bill is long, slightly curved and light in color, and their tail tends to end at or very near their wing tips.
One surprising fact about the male Black-chinned Hummingbird is that their average weight is 3.09 grams, which is less than the female weighs. There are also very distinct identifying features for the adult female Black-chinned Hummingbird. Their bill is long, slightly curved and lighter in color than the male Black-chinned Hummingbird's bill. The female Black-chinned Hummingbird has a grayer crown and a less contrasting head then its cousin the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. It is also grayer in overall color then its male counterpart.
The female Black-chinned Hummingbird weighs an average of 3.42 grams, which is slightly more than the male. Nectar serves as the main food source of the Black-chinned Hummingbird. This is due to the fact that the nectar has a high sugar content, which fuels the bird’s extreme metabolism.
These hummingbirds feed on over 90 species of plants, with penstemon, agave, larkspur and desert-honeysuckle being the most important. In recent years, artificial feeders have begun to supplement their normal diet. They also prey on insects and spiders, particularly when females are laying eggs and feeding their young. They get most of their water from nectar.
The nest of the Black-chinned Hummingbird is usually placed 4 to 8 feet above the ground, but it can be found up to 30 feet high. The nest is found on a small drooping branch or in a fork of a small tree or shrub, near or overhanging a stream, spring, or dry creek bed. The Black-chinned Hummingbird prefers to nest in oaks, but also nests in alders, cottonwoods, sycamores, laurel, willows, apple, and orange trees in orchards, and in woody vines and tall herbaceous weeds.
"Black-chinned Hummingbird" is a common name and does not require an explanation of its word origin, but the same cannot be said of its scientific name, which is Archilochus alexandri, does not share the same fate.
Depending on what dictionary of bird names you consult you may get very distinct etymologies. One states that the generic name, Archilochus, honors a 6th century B.C. Thracian poet who was famous for his "savage wit and flaunting of conventions."
A second traces the name to the Greek "first among birds" from "arch" meaning "chief'" and "lochos" meaning "body of people."
A third translates Archilochus to "chief brigand" from archos (chief or first in importance) and lochos (ambush or a company of men). The third dictionary ends the definition with a simple question: "But why? Because the bird steals the pollen from the flower and dashes away?"
In all three cases, the word alexandri refers to a Dr. Alexandre, who discovered the species in the Sierra Madre of Mexico and sent it to Mexico City. One assumes he has a first name, but no known first name has ever before become known through the ages.
The Black-chinned Hummingbird is very common and is a cousin of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Both the male and female have distinct characteristics which can help you identify them, and this species of bird is found in numerous states, so you will probably have a good chance of seeing them in your area of the country. Also, the scientific name of the "Black-chinned Hummingbird" has many different origins depending on which dictionary of bird names you choose to use.
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