Black-chinned Hummingbird Life History

Habitat

In the Southwest, most common in canyons and along rivers. In arid areas, most often found near cottonwood, sycamore, willow, salt-cedar, sugarberry, and oak. Birds wintering along Gulf very often spend time in shade of oaks.Back to top

Food

Nectar from flowers, small insects and spiders, sugar water at feeders.Back to top

Nesting

Nest Placement

Most Black-chinned Hummingbird nests have been found an average of 6 feet and at most 12 feet above the ground, but this may be because nests at this height are easier for observers to find. The nest is often on an exposed small horizontal dead branch well below the canopy.

Nest Description

When newly built, the nest is a compact, deep cup constructed of plant down, spider silk and cocoon fibers. As the nestlings grow, the nest stretches into a wider, shallower cup. Nests from cooler areas are thicker-walled than nests from warmer areas.

Nesting Facts

Behavior

After feeding may perch on high, bare branch for several minutes, surveying territory. Captures small insects in flight (or, in the case of spiders, while ballooning) or on flowers and even on the ground. May fly from perch to grab a single flying insect and then return to perch. May capture many insects in rapid succession in a swarm. Extracts nectar from flowers by extending tongue into the corolla while hovering. During courtship and territorial defense, males display by diving 66-100 feet.Back to top

Conservation

Black-chinned Hummingbirds populations increased by approximately 0.3% per year between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 8.8 million and rates them 9 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern. In some places, populations are increasing owing to the popularity of hummingbird gardens and hummingbird feeders. In much of the arid western U.S., Black-chinned Hummingbirds depend on intact streamside habitats, so these areas are important to preserve.

Credits

Baltosser, William H. and Stephen M. Russell. (2000). Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Lutmerding, J. A. and A. S. Love. (2020). Longevity records of North American birds. Version 2020. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bird Banding Laboratory 2020.

Partners in Flight. (2020). Avian Conservation Assessment Database, version 2020.

Sauer, J. R., D. K. Niven, J. E. Hines, D. J. Ziolkowski Jr., K. L. Pardieck, J. E. Fallon, and W. A. Link (2019). The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966–2019. Version 2.07.2019. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA.

Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA.

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