http://www.ck12.org Chapter 12. Understanding Biodiversity: Animals: Birds
12.1 Archilochus alexandri: Back Chinned
Hummingbird
Common Name
- Black Chinned Hummingbird
Description
The black-chinned hummingbird is a green-backed hummingbird of the West, with no brilliant colors on its throat
except a thin strip of purple bordering the back of the bird. Some of the black chinned hummingbird family members
are the ruby throated hummingbird, Anna’s hummingbird, Costa’s hummingbird, and the broad tailed hummingbird.
This hummingbird is found from the desert to the mountains to the forest. The length of this hummingbird is 3.5 in,
or 9 cm.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Trochiliformes
- Family: Trochilidae
- Genus:Archilochus
- Species:A. alexandri
Habitat
The black chinned hummingbird feeds on small insects such as spiders, nectar from different types of flowers, and
sugar water from feeders. They are pollinators. They catch insects in the air, and eat them from vegetation or take
them from spider webs. This bird is a pollinator for some rare plants: the golden columbine, eastwood and the
monkey flower. The black chinned hummingbird nest has been found 6 to 12 feet off the ground. When a nest is
newly built, the nest is compact in the shape of a deep cup.
Evolution
Feathers first evolved for insulation. Some species of hummingbirds, especially with an unusual bill shape such as
the sword billed hummingbird and the sickle billed hummingbird, are co-evolved with a small number of flowers
species. Scientist believe that birds’ wings have evolved from birds ancestors that have jumped into the air to avoid
predators or get their prey. Scientists also believe that birds’ wings may have evolved in a bird ancestor that have
lived in trees, and wings were modified arms that helped animals glide from branch to branch. Scientists still don’t
know how flight evolved, but scientists still search and study for answers.