Black-chinned Hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri) are small, agile birds that are native to western North America. They get their name from the black feathers that cover the chin and throat area on the males. Black-chinned Hummingbirds have adapted to take advantage of flower nectar as their main food source, making them an important pollinator species.
Quick Overview
Black-chinned Hummingbirds primarily eat nectar from tubular flowers such as coral honeysuckle, trumpet vine, and firecracker penstemon. They use their long, slender beaks and tongues to reach deep inside flowers and lap up the sugary nectar. Black-chinned Hummingbirds also eat small insects such as gnats, fruit flies, and spiders to obtain proteins, minerals, and nutrients that are not found in nectar. Their diet consists of 50% nectar and 50% insects.
Plants and Flowers that Attract Black-chinned Hummingbirds
There are many brightly colored tubular flowers that Black-chinned Hummingbirds are attracted to. Here are some of the top plants and flowers that can draw these tiny birds into your garden:
Coral Honeysuckle
Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a popular hummingbird plant native to the eastern United States. It has bright scarlet-orange trumpet-shaped flowers that carry lots of nectar. Black-chinned Hummingbirds will happily sip nectar from coral honeysuckle, especially if grown on a trellis or arbor.
Trumpet Vine
Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) is a fast-growing vine native to North America. It produces clusters of bright orange-red trumpet-shaped flowers that Black-chinned Hummingbirds find irresistible. Trumpet vine does well climbing up trellises, fences, and arbors.
Penstemon
Penstemons are a large genus of perennial flowers, many of which have tubular flowers perfectly adapted for hummingbird pollination. Firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) with its vibrant red flowers is a great attractor of Black-chinned Hummingbirds.
Fuchsia
Fuchsia produce dangling tubular flowers in shades of red, pink, and purple. Fuchsia are magnets for hummingbirds, including Black-chinned Hummingbirds that will defend fuchsia flowers as favorite food sources and feeding territories.
Lupine
Many lupine species such as the Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) produce spikes covered in pea-like flowers that appeal to Black-chinned Hummingbirds.
Columbine
Columbines like the native red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) have elegant, tubular nectar-bearing flowers that dangle like jewels, enticing Black-chinned Hummingbirds to feed.
Salvia
Salvias like the red salvia (Salvia coccinea) and pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) have tubular flowers in bright colors including red, orange, pink, and yellow. Black-chinned Hummingbirds will forage on these nectar-rich flowers.
Petunia
Petunias like the single flower varieties have open trumpet-shaped blossoms perfect for Black-chinned Hummingbirds to insert their long beaks into.
When and Where do Black-chinned Hummingbirds Feed?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds are migratory, breeding during spring and summer across much of western North America before migrating to Mexico for the winter. Here is more detail on when and where they feed:
- Spring – As flowers begin to bloom in the spring, Black-chinned Hummingbirds feed on early-blooming flowers across breeding ranges in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and other western states.
- Summer – During summer months, Black-chinned Hummingbirds aggressively feed on nectar from hundreds of different flowers that bloom across forests, canyons, meadows, and gardens.
- Fall – Before migrating south in fall, Black-chinned Hummingbirds stock up on nectar from late-blooming flowers including salvia, fuchsia, and trumpet vine.
- Winter – They overwinter along the Pacific coast of Mexico where they feed on colorful tropical flowers and nectar plants.
Black-chinned Hummingbirds have excellent memory and will return to plentiful nectar sources. By planting some of their favorite nectar-producing flowers, you can attract Black-chinned Hummingbirds to feed in your own backyard.
How Much Nectar do They Consume?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds have extremely high metabolisms. At rest, their hearts beat up to 500 times per minute. In flight, their hearts accelerate to over 1200 beats per minute. This rapid heart rate requires a huge amount of energy. To fuel their active lifestyle, Black-chinned Hummingbirds drink nectar throughout the day every 10-15 minutes.
It’s estimated that Black-chinned Hummingbirds consume up to half of their body weight in nectar each day. Their entire energy requirement can be met by nectar consumption if adequate nectar sources are available. During cold nights or seasonal periods when fewer flowers are in bloom, they increase consumption of insects to meet energy needs.
How Do They Feed on Nectar?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds have specially adapted beaks and tongues to slurp liquid nectar out of flowers. Here’s how they feed:
- Using excellent vision, they spot flowers by color and shape.
- They hover in front of flowers, rapidly beating their wings up to 70 times per second.
- Their slender beaks allow them to reach deep inside tubular flowers.
- Their forked tongue darts in and out, lapping up nectar.
- Tongues have tube-like tips that soak up nectar.
- Grooves on the tongue channel liquid nectar by capillary action.
- Nectar passes through the throat by a sucking action as the tongue retracts.
This specialized feeding adaptation allows Black-chinned Hummingbirds to exploit flower nectar extremely effectively. They play a key role as pollinators that transfer pollen between flowers as they feed.
Role as Pollinators
Black-chinned Hummingbirds serve as important pollinators as they move from flower to flower feeding on nectar. Their long beaks and heads pick up pollen from one blossom, which is them transferred to the next during feeding. This pollen transfer enables cross-pollination and successful reproduction of plants. Some species of plants can only be pollinated by hummingbirds due to unique adaptations like tubular red flowers. Black-chinned Hummingbirds coevolved with many nectar plants, developing a mutualistic relationship that benefits both species through nectar nutrition and pollination services.
Do They Drink Anything Besides Nectar?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds get nearly all the water they need from the nectar they drink. If adequate nectar is not available, they may drink drops of water from leaves, branches, or bird baths. They have also been observed eating tree sap or feeding on sap wells drilled by sapsucker woodpeckers. In cold climates in winter, Black-chinned Hummingbirds may drink flower nectar that has fermented into a thin mixture of alcohol and sugar for extra calories.
What Insects Do They Eat?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds get essential protein, nutrients, and minerals from small soft-bodied insects and spiders. Some of their common insect prey includes:
- Gnats
- Mosquitos
- Fruit flies
- Aphids
- Thrips
- Spiders
- Caterpillars
They capture insect prey in flight, gleaning them from foliage, or snatching them out of spiderwebs. They may eat hundreds of tiny insects each day. Insects are fed whole and consumed rapidly with the help of abrasive areas on the tongue that help crush the prey.
Do They Eat Fruit?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds occasionally supplement their diet with small soft fruit such as berries or currants, likely for the sugar content. They have been observed eating fruit from these plants that also provide nectar:
- Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)
- Wild currants (Ribes spp.)
- Glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora)
- Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)
They perch to delicately pick at and eat tiny fruits and berries using their beaks. However, fruit makes up only a tiny fraction of their overall diet.
Do They Eat Bird Feeders?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds readily adapt to artificial feeders, especially when native nectar flowers may not be available. They are attracted to specialized hummingbird feeders filled with liquid “nectar” made from white granulated sugar mixed at a 1:4 ratio with water. Feeders should be cleaned and refilled often to prevent spoilage.
Black-chinned Hummingbirds can be trained to feed from specific feeders. They will aggressively chase away other hummingbirds or assert feeding priority over a favored nectar feeder. Red-colored feeders seem to be especially attractive to Black-chinned Hummingbirds.
What is Their Feeding Behavior?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds have some interesting feeding behaviors and adaptations:
- They lick nectar with their long forked tongue at a rate of 13-17 licks per second.
- They are able to remember which flowers they have visited, minimizing revisiting.
- They defend nectar resources and feeders, chasing away intruders.
- Males establish feeding territories to have exclusive access to nectar sources.
- Their hearts beat at up to 1260 beats per minute when feeding.
- They feed every 10-15 minutes consuming up to half their body weight daily.
- They prefer red tubular flowers which they can hover near.
- They chew and swallow insects whole to gain protein.
Understanding the feeding behavior and adaptations of Black-chinned Hummingbirds can help attract them by providing their preferred nectar plants and feeders.
What is Their Feeding Habitat?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds inhabit a diversity of habitats across western North America during the breeding season, including:
- Canyonlands
- Riparian woodlands
- Scrublands
- Chaparral
- Mountain meadows
- Desert oases
- Pine-oak forests
- Backyards and gardens
They commonly feed along habitat edges where food sources are most abundant such as between meadows and forests or along stream banks. Flowering plants along canyon trails and in mountain ranchlands provide plentiful nectar. Backyard gardens full of tubular blossoms also deliver prime feeding habitat.
How Does Their Diet Vary Throughout the Year?
The diet of Black-chinned Hummingbirds shifts across seasons as flower availability changes:
- Spring – Early-blooming flowers provide essential nectar calories after migration. More insects are eaten to boost protein.
- Summer – Peak flower abundance allows focus on nectar. Fewer insects eaten during breeding season.
- Fall – Late-blooming flowers fuel pre-migration weight gain. More insects eaten to add fat.
- Winter – Tropical flowers and nectar plants in Mexico sustain them until spring.
This seasonal flexibility and opportunistic feeding allow Black-chinned Hummingbirds to flourish across a wide geographic range.
Signs of a Healthy Diet
Signs that Black-chinned Hummingbirds are getting adequate nutrition from their diet include:
- Regular visits to nectar feeders and flowers
- Bright, shiny plumage
- High activity and agility in flight
- Good body weight and fat reserves
- DISPLAYING OF VIGOROUS BREEDING BEHAVIORS
- Abundant energy and alertness
- Success raising multiple broods in a season
- Returning to the same sites annually
Black-chinned Hummingbirds rely on accessing plentiful nectar and insects to satisfy their extreme metabolic demands. Providing essential food sources supports individual and population health.
Risks of Poor Nutrition
Black-chinned Hummingbirds face increased risks if adequate nutrition is not maintained, including:
- Inability to breed or raise young
- Low energy leading to torpor or starvation
- Failure to complete migratory journeys
- Poor feather condition and molting
- Greater susceptibility to illness and disease
- Declines in population size
Limited nectar resources due to habitat loss, fewer flowers from climate change, competition from invasive species, and insect declines may all contribute to nutritional deficiencies in Black-chinned Hummingbird populations.
How to Attract Black-chinned Hummingbirds
Here are some tips to provide food sources that will attract Black-chinned Hummingbirds to your yard:
- Plant red tubular flowers such as fuchsias, penstemons, and salvias
- Add nectar-rich native plants like honeysuckle and columbine
- Choose a mix of flowering seasons for year-round nectar
- Supply clean hummingbird feeders with 1:4 sugar-water mix
- Include insect-attracting plants such as butterfly bushes
- Avoid using pesticides which reduce insect prey
- Provide small fruits and berries on bushes or trees
- Put up feeders in sheltered spots away from predators
By landscaping for Black-chinned Hummingbirds, you can help provide the essential food sources they rely on while enjoying their beauty and fascinating behaviors.
Conclusion
Black-chinned Hummingbirds have specialized dietary adaptations to take advantage of sugar-rich tubular flower nectar to fuel their extreme metabolisms. They complement their nectar diet with protein-packed small insects like gnats, aphids, and spiders. Planting the brightly colored tubular flowers these hummingbirds are naturally attracted to will draw them into your garden to delight in their beauty and activity. Ensuring habitat provides plentiful nectar and insect resources will support the health and success of Black-chinned Hummingbird populations.