Archilochus alexandri
The Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) is a quintessential avian jewel of western North America, renowned for its distinctive appearance and acrobatic flight. Males boast a glossy black gorget that, under certain lighting, reveals a stunning iridescent violet-purple band just below the chin, contrasting sharply with their dull metallic green back and white underparts. Females, lacking the male's gorget, are metallic green above and dusky white below, often with buffy flanks and...
Found primarily in arid and semi-arid regions, favoring riparian woodlands, canyons, foothills, and suburban gardens, often at elevations from sea level up to 2,000 meters (6,500 feet).
Feeds primarily on nectar from a variety of flowering plants and also catches small insects and spiders for protein.
Black-chinned Hummingbirds are intensely diurnal, actively foraging for nectar and insects from dawn to dusk, often roosting on thin branches in sheltered locations overnight, sometimes entering a state of torpor during cold nights to conserve energy. Males are fiercely territorial, defending pri...
The Black-chinned Hummingbird breeds across a wide swath of western North America, from southern British Columbia, Canada, south through the western United States, including states like California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and extending int...
Least Concern
- The male Black-chinned Hummingbird's brilliant violet-purple throat band is only visible when light strikes it at a specific angle; otherwise, it appears dull black. - They have one of the longest migration routes relative to their body size among hummingbirds, traveling up to 2,000 miles from ...