Archilochus alexandri
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-chinned hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) is a hummingbird occupying a broad range of habitats from deserts to mountain forests and urban areas in the western United States, southern British Columbia, and Mexico. It is migratory, wintering as far south as Mexico. In sunlight, an iridescent purple gorget forming a ring below the black chin feathers is a male characteristic. When in flight and hovering, its wings make a low-pitched humming sound.
The hybrid between the black-chinned hummingbird and Anna's hummingbird is called "Trochilus" violajugulum. The black-chinned hummingbird is also known to hybridize with Anna's, Lucifer, broad-tailed, and Costa's hummingbirds.
The black-chinned hummingbird is 8.25 cm (3.25 in) long. Adults are metallic green above and white-gray below with green flanks. Their bill is long, straight and slender. The adult male has a black face and chin, a glossy purple gorget (when accurately exposed to sunlight) and a dark forked tail. The female has a dark rounded tail with white tips and no throat patch. Juvenile plumage is similar to that of adult females, but with buff margins on the dorsal feathers. Juvenile... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-chinned Hummingbird sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 77 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 81st most-seen of the 141 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-chinned Hummingbird in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-chinned Hummingbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Black-chinned Hummingbird sightings, Joshua Tree National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Zion National Park (United States, about 20%), Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 10%) and Big Bend National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Black-chinned Hummingbird that you can see in Joshua Tree National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Anna's Hummingbird (about 40%) and Costa's Hummingbird (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-chinned Hummingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Joshua Tree National Park (77 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
