Bird guide · Archilochus alexandri
Black-chinned Hummingbird
What the black-chinned hummingbird eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Migrant; almost all winter in Mexico.
- Size
- 3.9 in (10 cm)
- Eats
- nectar (sugar water)
- Feeds
- nectar feeder
- Most common
- New Mexico, Utah, Arizona
Food
What do black-chinned hummingbirds eat?
At feeders, black-chinned hummingbirds take nectar (sugar water).
Flips and spreads its tail while hovering; at feeders it may hover or perch, and can be territorial.
Feeder that suits it
A hummingbird nectar feeder with one part sugar to four parts water.
Range
Where do black-chinned hummingbirds live?
Widespread in the West at low elevations, often in suburban gardens; almost absent in winter. By share of all bird sightings, black-chinned hummingbirds are most common in New Mexico (1.3%).
States where black-chinned hummingbirds are most common
- New Mexico1.3%
- Utah0.8%
- Arizona0.7%
- Idaho0.6%
- Nevada0.5%
- Texas0.4%
- Colorado0.3%
- California0.09%
- Montana0.08%
- Oklahoma0.07%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are black-chinned hummingbirds, 2019–2024.
Season
When can you see the black-chinned hummingbird?
Migrant; almost all winter in Mexico.. Across the US, sightings start in March, peak in August and fade out in October.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are black-chinned hummingbirds, by month.
Identification
How to identify the black-chinned hummingbird
Male: Green above with a black chin; a purple lower band (hard to see) and white collar below it.
Female: Green above, pale below with a long bill; almost identical to female Ruby-throated.
Size: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Easily confused with
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird – females almost identical; best separated by range
On camera
Getting the black-chinned hummingbird on a feeder camera
You need a hummingbird feeder camera – hummingbirds never visit seed feeders. See feeder cameras compared for the nectar models.
Questions
Black-chinned Hummingbird: questions
What do black-chinned hummingbirds eat?
At feeders, nectar (sugar water).
Do black-chinned hummingbirds migrate?
Migrant; almost all winter in Mexico.. Across the US, sightings start in March, peak in August and fade out in October.
Where do black-chinned hummingbirds live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia.
What does a female black-chinned hummingbird look like?
Green above, pale below with a long bill; almost identical to female Ruby-throated.