Black-chinned Hummingbird

The Black-chinned Hummingbird is a common and adaptable species across much of the western United States, often found along riparian corridors and desert washes as well as suburban gardens. Its feathers show iridescent green upperparts, and males have a throat patch that appears mostly velvety black, with only a narrow band of iridescent purple visible at the lower edge when lit at the right angle, giving it a subtler look than many other hummingbird gorgets.

Size and Shape

Feathers are tiny and narrow, consistent with other hummingbirds of similar size, with the gorget feathers on the male's throat slightly elongated at the base.

Color and Pattern

• Crown and back feathers: iridescent green
• Male upper throat feathers: velvety black
• Male lower throat band: narrow iridescent purple, visible only in good light
• Underparts: pale grayish-white with some green flanking

Distinguishing from Similar Species

Black-chinned Hummingbird males are distinguished from Ruby-throated and Anna's by the black throat with only a thin purple lower band, rather than an all-red or all-magenta gorget. Females closely resemble female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and are best separated by range, since the two species have largely non-overlapping breeding distributions.

Adult males show a black upper throat with a narrow iridescent purple band at the base and green upperparts; adult females have a plain whitish throat and duller green upperparts, closely resembling females of other Archilochus hummingbirds. Juveniles resemble females. Adults undergo a complete molt primarily after breeding or on wintering grounds.

Black-chinned Hummingbirds breed across much of the western United States, from the Pacific states east to the western Great Plains and south into Mexico, favoring riparian corridors, canyons, desert washes with flowering shrubs, and increasingly suburban gardens. The species is migratory, wintering mainly in Mexico.

This hummingbird feeds on nectar from a wide range of flowering plants and feeders and takes small insects for protein, especially important for feeding nestlings. Females build a small cup nest of plant down and spider silk, often over a stream or wash. Males perform a pendulum-shaped display flight to court females, and the species gives soft, high chip notes. Black-chinned Hummingbirds are adaptable to disturbed and urban habitats within their range, making them a common backyard visitor across much of the West.