The Black-chinned Hummingbird
WHAT SUMMER WETLANDS PARK HUMMINGBIRD IS A REALLY FAST EATER?
Summer is the season for many “jeweled” fliers at Clark County Wetlands Park. A variety of colorful dragonflies and damselflies dart and dive, snatching their insect prey out of the air. Among them, the larger Anna’s, Costa’s, and black-chinned hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri) flash iridescent feathers in the sun as they fly by. I love watching the dance, and for me, summer’s aerial ballet at the Park just would not be complete without the feisty little, black-chinned hummingbirds!
The male’s iridescent green, black, and violet feathers reflect the sunlight as it darts after insect prey, hovers at a flower for nectar, or perches high on a dead twig (like our photo model) to get the best possible view of its territory. Lucky observers may hear the distinctive “hummm-buzzz” of the rapidly beating wings, or even get a “really close” look as the bird swoops in to check a colorful shirt or neckerchief for nectar!
Hummingbirds are one of the treasures of the Americas. About 360 species are distributed across the Western Hemisphere, but none are native elsewhere. These tiny, essentially solitary birds with their long slender bills have been described as “fearless and pugnacious.” A hummer will boldly defend its territory from all comers – other hummingbirds, much larger birds, and even birds of prey, including raptors.
In flight, hummingbird wings beat up to 70 times in a second, producing the humming sound that gives the group its common name. The birds can hover in mid-air to sip flower nectar, dart quickly to snap up insects from leaves or in flight and even fly backward!
Black-chinned hummingbirds will live in a wide variety of habitats. Home territories range from low desert to mountain forest habitats, and may include open woodland, arid scrub, chaparral, riparian areas, and urban parks and gardens, so long as the area includes at least some tall trees and flowering shrubs and vines. Like other hummers, they are important pollinators of native plants in the areas where they live. These birds are willing to live near people, so they may nest in landscape shrubs and trees, and may be regular visitors at backyard feeders.
Perhaps because their fast metabolisms need lots of fuel, black-chinned hummingbirds are very fast eaters. They can sip nectar through the two grooves in their tongues at the amazing rate of 13-17 licks per second, all while hovering in midair! While flower nectar heads their grocery list, Black-chinned hummingbirds also regularly capture and eat a variety of small insects and spiders, particularly when nectar is scarce.
Despite their tiny size, these hummingbirds are annual migrants. They arrive on summer territories in the western United States and southwest Canada in spring and stay through the summer to mate and raise their young. In fall, they return to their winter ranges, mostly in Mexico and Central America. Males and females migrate separately, and in fact live on separate territories. They meet to breed on neutral ground, and the female builds the nest, incubates the eggs (two per clutch), and raises the young.
For good views of tiny, fast-moving, black-chinned hummingbirds in the Park, binoculars are a wonderful tool. Use them to check the bare twigs at the tops of trees along the trail. The birds often perch in a single location to digest a meal between feeding sorties, or to survey the area for rivals to chase away. They usually return to the same perch after feeding or defending their territory. In flight, watch for their erratic darting after insects, and the very characteristic “pumping” motion of the tail when they hover. Listen for the hum as the bird flies by! Remember: black-chinned hummingbird females do not have the black chins and violet “collars” sported by the males. They are iridescent green above and white below and are hard to distinguish from the resident female Costa’s hummingbirds. Identification challenge along the trail, anyone?
– Nature Moment by Chris Leavitt, President; photo by Jim Boone, www.birdandhike.com
Please enjoy these YouTube videos!
Black chinned hummingbird feeding, Castle Valley, Utah, USA Nature Picture Library 0:50
HDObservations: Black-Chinned Hummingbird (4KUHD) rogeruzun 1:13
Black chinned hummingbird Birds_Sound 1:35
Black Chinned Hummingbird momma feeds babies Keith Combs 1:28