Black-chinned Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbird
(Archilochus alexandri)
The male Black-chinned Hummingbird, like all hummingbirds, maintains a mating and feeding territory in spring. He courts his female with a dazzling aerial display involving a pendulum-like flight pattern. When mating interest wanes, the male often takes up residence elsewhere, near a good food supply. Later, when plant blooming and insect swarming subside, the birds move south.

Physical Description
Average weight: male 3.09 g, female 3.42 g. The female is larger than the male.

Plumage
Adult male: Metallic green back, crown, and breast; black gorget with purple throat band, white collar. The least colorful of US hummingbirds.
Adult female: Green back and crown, white breast, white throat with some black spots, buff sides, white tips on outer tail feathers.

Habitat
Mountain and alpine meadows, woodlands, canyons with thickets, chaparral and orchards.

Distribution
Observed in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.

Black-chinned Hummingbird Range Map