Black-chinned Hummingbird
Encyclopedia
The Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) is a small hummingbird
.
Adults are metallic green above and white below with green flanks. Their bill is long, straight and very slender. The adult male has a black face and chin, a glossy purple throat band and a dark forked tail. The female has a dark rounded tail with white tips and no throat patch; they are similar to female Ruby-throated Hummingbird
s.
Their breeding habitat is open semi-arid areas near water in the western United States
, northern Mexico
and southern British Columbia
. The female builds a well-camouflage
d nest in a protected location in a shrub or tree using plant fibre, spider
webs and lichen
s.
They are migratory
and spend most of the winter in Mexico.
These birds feed on nectar from flower
s using a long extendable tongue or catch insect
s on the wing. While collecting nectar, they also assist in plant pollination
.
Because of their small size, they are vulnerable to insect-eating birds and animals. This bird is fairly common in its breeding range.
A hybrid between this species and Anna's Hummingbird
was called "Trochilus" violajugulum. The Black-chinned Hummingbird is also known to hybridize with Costa's Hummingbird
.
The Black-chinned humming bird is 8.25 cm (3 1/4 inches) long.
As of 2011, it has the smallest known genome
of all living amniote
s, only 0.91 pg (910 million base pair
s).
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
.
Adults are metallic green above and white below with green flanks. Their bill is long, straight and very slender. The adult male has a black face and chin, a glossy purple throat band and a dark forked tail. The female has a dark rounded tail with white tips and no throat patch; they are similar to female Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird , is a small hummingbird. It is the only species of hummingbird that regularly nests east of the Mississippi River in North America.- Description :...
s.
Their breeding habitat is open semi-arid areas near water in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and southern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The female builds a well-camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
d nest in a protected location in a shrub or tree using plant fibre, spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
webs and lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s.
They are migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
and spend most of the winter in Mexico.
These birds feed on nectar from flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s using a long extendable tongue or catch insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s on the wing. While collecting nectar, they also assist in plant pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
.
Because of their small size, they are vulnerable to insect-eating birds and animals. This bird is fairly common in its breeding range.
A hybrid between this species and Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird native to the west coast of North America. This bird was named after Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli.-Description:...
was called "Trochilus" violajugulum. The Black-chinned Hummingbird is also known to hybridize with Costa's Hummingbird
Costa's Hummingbird
The Costa's Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird.The Costa's Hummingbird is very small, a mature adult growing to only 3 to 3½ inches in length. The male Costa's has a mainly green back and flanks, a small black tail and wings, and patches of white below their gorgeted throat and tail...
.
The Black-chinned humming bird is 8.25 cm (3 1/4 inches) long.
As of 2011, it has the smallest known genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of all living amniote
Amniote
The amniotes are a group of tetrapods that have a terrestrially adapted egg. They include synapsids and sauropsids , as well as their fossil ancestors. Amniote embryos, whether laid as eggs or carried by the female, are protected and aided by several extensive membranes...
s, only 0.91 pg (910 million base pair
Base pair
In molecular biology and genetics, the linking between two nitrogenous bases on opposite complementary DNA or certain types of RNA strands that are connected via hydrogen bonds is called a base pair...
s).
External links
- Black-chinned Hummingbird Photographs South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Video (.wmv) (.mp4 - iPod) Hummingbird hovers and feeds. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. Stored at blip.tv
- Video (.wmv) Hummingbird shaping a nest. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. Stored at blip.tv
- Video (.wmv) Hummingbird adding spider's web to nest. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. Stored at blip.tv
- Video (.wmv) Hummingbird adding downy seed to nest. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. Stored at blip.tv
- Black-chinned Hummingbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-chinned_Hummingbird/id for sounds, videos and more info