Black-chinned hummingbird
Archilochus alexandri
Identification Tips:
- Length: 3 inches
- Long, straight, thin bill
- Small hummingbird
- Bright green back and crown
- White underparts with greenish flanks
Adult male:
- Iridescent purple gorget at lower throat
- Black face, chin, and upper throat
- Entirely dark tail
Female/Immature:
- White chin and throat with variable amounts of thin dark
streaking
- Dark tail with white tips on outer tail feathers
Similar species:
Males unmistakable with a good view. Females are
similar to a number of other female hummingbirds, and are best told
from the Calliope Hummingbird and species in the genus Selasphorus
by their lack of rufous on the flanks and in the tail. Anna's
Hummingbirds are larger and have grayer chests, while Costa's
Hummingbirds differ only in subtleties of facial pattern and tail
pattern. Black-chinned Hummingbird females are not safely
separable from female Ruby-throateds except in the hand. Best told
from all species except Ruby-throated Hummingbird by call.
Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.