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| Black-chinned and Blue Salvia-5" x 5" acrylic and casein |
Next up, couple number three is a pair of black-chinned hummingbirds. This species is more subtly colored than the first two being metallic green on the back with grayish-white on the belly.The male has a black gorget with a thin strip of iridescent purple that can be seen in good light.
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| Black-chinned and Blue Salvia II-5" x 5" acrylic and casein |
The female is colored similarly, but without the gorget. Her throat often has subtle spotting.
Black-chinned are found in a variety of habitats, from desert to mountains. They are very adaptable and frequently found in urban habitats that have lots of flowering trees and flowers and are the species I see most often in my garden throughout the summer. I have chosen to picture them with the blue salvia that grows in my garden because I love the color and it picks up the bluish-purple shades in the males throat.
One more species to go now, the Calliope hummer. I am still working out the composition for this one as this species is the one I see less often in my garden and have fewer reference photos for it. They are more common at higher elevations than where I live so it may require a quick trip to the mountains to see if I can find any. Sounds like a good excuse to get out of the valley!
