The Black-chinned Hummingbird population in Canada is too small to be well covered by any one survey. It has been reported on only five Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes and there are few other data on population trends. Christmas Bird Count data are not useful, since much of the species' wintering range is in Mexico and thus not well covered by that program. BBS results suggest that there has been a large increase in the population since the early 1970s. However, the large magnitude of that increase appears to be influenced by an unusually high, but very imprecise count, in 2015. Evidence of a long-term range expansion comes from the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of British Columbia; the species has apparently increased in numbers in the dry valleys of south-central British Columbia. There were only two records of the species prior to 1947, and it is now considered an uncommon but regular summer resident there (Moran and Fraser 2015, Campbell et al. 1990). BBS results for North America suggest a relatively stable continental population over the same time period. Considering all this information, the species is perhaps best assessed as having shown a moderate increase. The Black-chinned Hummingbird is at an acceptable level relative to its national population goal (see BBS Canada graph below).
Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis
