Critters of North Idaho: Black-Chinned Hummingbird

Birds literally come in all shapes and sizes. The largest birds to ever exist were the elephant birds. The largest genus, Vorombe, stood 9.8 feet tall and weighed 1,600 pounds! The largest flying bird? That title goes to Argentavis, a giant hawk-like predator with a wingspan of 14 feet and weighing over 154 pounds. Sadly, these birds are extinct. But at the other end of the scale are a group of birds that are still around today: the hummingbirds!

The smallest hummingbird is the appropriately-named bumblebee hummingbird, from Mexico, weighing 2.2 grams. Idaho is home to a number of hummingbird species that aren’t much larger.

Today, we’ll be focusing on one particular species: the black-chinned hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri). Measuring 3.5 inches long, stretching 4.3 inches from wingtip to wingtip, and barely tipping the scale at a maximum of 0.2 ounces, you might think it would be easy to tell this bird apart from its cousins, like the more famous ruby-throated hummingbird.

If we’re talking about the males of this species, then you’d be right. But females don’t look much different from females of other hummingbird species. Black-chinned hummingbirds are sexually dimorphic, meaning the males and females have external differences that easily tell them apart. Females are covered in metallic bronze-green feathers. They have a white chin, throat, sides and underbelly with dusty gray-colored spots.

While also mostly metallic bronze-green, a male hummingbird’s head is more vibrant, covered completely in black feathers. Ironically enough, sometimes the male’s chin looks purple! This is because hummingbird feathers are iridescent, meaning that they appear to take on a different color depending on how the light hits them.

Like other hummingbirds, black-throated hummingbirds have a long, narrow beak that is used to probe deep into flowers. After using their long tongue to lap up the sweet nectar inside, they dart to the next flower and repeat the process. These birds are able to effortlessly hover from flower to flower thanks to their incredible wings. The average hummingbird can flutter its wings at about 50 beats per second! Despite their size, these little birds can be fiercely territorial during the breeding season, constantly on the lookout for other hummingbirds to chase away from their preferred feeding spot, no matter the species or gender. While nectar makes up most of their diet, hummingbirds will also snag flies, ants, and spiders on the wing.

Black-chinned hummingbirds are a common sight in the Idaho Panhandle … but you probably haven’t seen any all winter. Where do they go? These birds have a very high metabolism, which means they have to eat about half of their body weight a day just to stay alive. Since flowers and insects are in short supply in the winter, the hummingbirds take off for Mexico, sipping from flowers and nabbing insects along the way.

The return of warm weather will also bring the return of the hummingbirds. These birds have a fondness for artificial feeders supplied by people. Once filled with sugar water, the hummingbirds come in droves, attracted by the feeder’s color and shape. If you’d like to make these birds a part of your garden menagerie, get your feeders ready! The hummers are making a comeback this spring!

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