Black-chinned hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri) are a small, vibrantly colored bird found in western North America. Despite their diminutive size, these hummingbirds have quite a loud voice for their size and are known to produce a variety of sounds.
In the opening paragraphs, some quick answers to key questions about black-chinned hummingbird noises are:
- Yes, black-chinned hummingbirds do make noise and vocalizations.
- Their most common sounds are short, high-pitched chips and squeaks used for communication.
- Males produce an elaborate courtship display song during the breeding season to attract females.
- Both males and females use aggressive chattering and chip notes to defend feeding territories.
- Young black-chinned hummingbirds beg for food from their mothers with loud, repetitious peeping calls.
The wide repertoire of sounds produced by these tiny birds serves important purposes in communication, courtship, and territoriality. Their vocalizations provide key cues to their behavior and interactions.
Black-Chinned Hummingbird Description
Before delving into the sounds black-chinned hummingbirds make, it helps to understand a little more about these birds.
Black-chinned hummingbirds are medium-sized for a hummingbird, reaching lengths of 3 to 3.5 inches. They have a slender, straight black bill and a dark, forked tail. The adult males have a black face and chin, glittering green throat feathers, a grey-white breast, and coppery-green coloring on the flanks, sides, and tail.
Females lack the black chin, having instead a light grey throat and white tips on the tail feathers. Immature black-chinned hummingbirds resemble adult females but have buffy fringes on their body feathers.
Some key facts about these vocal hummingbirds include:
- They breed in western North America and winter in Mexico.
- They are aggressive and territorial, defending flower patches and feeders.
- They have specialized tongue and bill adaptations for drinking nectar.
- High metabolism requires feeding every 10-15 minutes.
- A rapid wingbeat creates the humming sound.
Common Vocalizations
Black-chinned hummingbirds use their voices to communicate different messages throughout the day. Here are some of their most frequent sounds and what they mean:
Chipping
Short, high-pitched chip or chippering notes are the most common vocalizations of black-chinned hummingbirds. Both males and females use these chip calls year-round in a variety of social interactions.
Some specific uses of chipping include:
- Defending feeding territories
- Communicating with mates and juveniles
- Expressing alarm at potential threats
- Warning off intruders
These simple chip notes are often repeated in fast sequences when agitated or chasing an intruder away from a food source.
Squeaking
Along with chipping, squeaking notes are frequently used by these hummingbirds. Squeaks are similar to chips but sound thinner, higher, and more drawn out.
Squeaks communicate excitement, aggression, alarm, or distress in a range of social interactions between mates, competing males, predators, or when handling juveniles.
begging calls
Juvenile black-chinned hummingbirds just out of the nest produce loud, repetitious peeping and chippering calls when begging for food from their mothers.
These food-soliciting calls are responded to with clucking or squeaking notes from the female as she feeds her offspring.
Courtship Song
Male black-chinned hummingbirds have a complex, musical courtship song they use during the breeding season to attract females.
Performed in a dive display starting up to 100 feet in the air, the courtship song features buzzes, chirps, squeals, and whistles in a rapid sequence.
Researchers have described these nuptial songs as “a musical warble ending in a shrill note.” The combination of elaborate aerial maneuvers and vocalization helps entice potential mates.
Calls of Related Hummingbird Species
While species overlap exists in some call types, black-chinned hummingbirds have distinctive sounds compared to related hummingbird species sharing their habitat.
Anna’s Hummingbird
Male Anna’s hummingbirds produce a lower-pitched courtship song of squeaky notes and terminal buzzes. Their common call is a rapid series of tics and squeals.
Costa’s Hummingbird
Male Costa’s have a sharp, loud courtship song of bell-like notes and trills. Their frequent contact call is a blunt chip note.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Broad-tails produce musical trills and whistling notes. Their common call is a repeated high-low chipping.
Calliope Hummingbird
Calliope courtship songs contain elaborate whistles and buzzes. Their common call is a thin, squeaky chip.
By learning the unique sounds of each species, birders can readily identify the black-chinned hummingbirds among its vocal cousins.
Functions of Vocalizations
The diverse noises produced by black-chinned hummingbirds serve a number of important functions for the birds:
Territory Defense
Aggressive chips, squeaks, and chatter calls are used to claim ownership over nectar-rich food sources and chase away intruders. Vocalizations help establish dominance and resolve conflicts without physical contact.
Mate Attraction
Male courtship songs allow males to showcase their fitness to potential mates. Their virtuosic dive displays and singing help attract female attention for breeding.
Mate Communication
Softer chips and squeaks are used for private communication between mates to coordinate care duties, share food sources, or signal intent.
Begging Calls
Loud hunger cries grab the mother’s attention and elicit prompt feeding response to satisfy the chick’s needs.
Predator Alerts
Alarm notes communicate warnings about nearby threats so that other hummingbirds can take evasive action.
How Do They Produce Sound?
Despite being only inches long, black-chinned hummingbirds are able to produce surprisingly loud vocalizations for their size. But how do these tiny birds generate so much noise?
Several key adaptations give them an unexpectedly big voice:
- Large pectoral muscles to power vocalizations
- Modified feathers around the syrinx vocal organ
- Amplifying air sacs connected to the trachea
- Rapid breathing to exhale more vocalized air
Specialized syringeal muscles at the junction of the trachea and bronchi allow hummingbirds to control sound characteristics. This gives them great flexibility in call types.
When Do They Vocalize?
Black-chinned hummingbirds chirp, squeak, and communicate using vocalizations in a wide range of behavioral contexts:
- During courtship displays
- While defending feeding territories
- To signal alarm at predators
- When chasing intruders away from food sources
- To beg for food as juveniles
- When communicating with mates
- During aggressive encounters with other hummingbirds
- To maintain contact with mates while foraging
peak calling occurs during the breeding season as birds establish nesting sites, court mates, and later feed nestlings. However, vocalizations play an important role year-round in communication for these highly social birds.
Partnerships and Rivalries
The noises of black-chinned hummingbirds reflect the complex social relationships and rival dynamics between individuals. Some examples include:
Courting Pairs
Soft chips and squeaks coordinate pair bonds and communicate where to find the best food.
Territorial Males
Aggressive chips and chatter repel competing males from food sources and perching sites.
Mother-Juvenile Interactions
Female clucks stimulate chicks to beg for food with loud peeping calls.
Competing Females
High-pitched squeals signal hostility and dominance over shared resources.
Their wide repertoire of sounds allows black-chinned hummingbirds to navigate their intricate social world.
Mimicking Sounds
In addition to their innate vocalizations, black-chinned hummingbirds have been known to mimic sounds in their environment.
Some observed examples of sound mimicry include:
- Incorporating bell and whistle sounds into their repertoire
- Mimicking vocalizations of other bird species
- Repeating sharp sounds like dog barks
- Vocal learning of human speech sounds
Their ability to mimic novel sounds is quite rare among hummingbirds. Researchers believe it may help facilitate complex communication in black-chinned hummingbirds.
Regional Dialects
Across different geographical populations, black-chinned hummingbirds exhibit variations in their dialects and vocalizations.
Some key regional differences include:
| Region | Dialect Characteristics |
| Pacific Coast | – Lower frequency squeaks and chips |
| Rocky Mountains | – More complex courtship songs |
| Southwestern Deserts | – Slower-paced delivery of chip notes |
| Mexico | – Wider variety of trills and whistles |
Researchers believe these vocal dialects help birds identify group membership and strengthen social bonding in local populations.
Recorded Examples
Here are some audio clips that provide examples of typical black-chinned hummingbird vocalizations:
Series of chip notes communicating alarm.
High-pitched squeak signifying aggression.
Loud peeping food-begging calls of juveniles.
Musical courtship song of a male.
Conclusion
Black-chinned hummingbirds are anything but quiet. They have an impressive vocal repertoire that serves many social functions. Their diverse squeaks, chips, begging calls, and complex courtship songs help them communicate, defend resources, attract mates, and interact with rivals.
The next time you hear unknown chips and peeps in areas where black-chinned hummingbirds live, listen closely and see if you can identify them! Understanding their vocalizations provides great insight into the lives of these vocal hummingbird neighbors.
