A bird’s chin is exactly where you’d expect it to be — just under its beak — but of course birds’ chins don’t stick out like ours do.

Shown at right are common redpolls whose feathers give them a black chin (indicated by the blue arrow).  From a distance their black faces and chins make their yellow beaks stand out. 

I wish I could have chosen a Southwestern bird, the black-chinned sparrow, to illustrate this blog but I could not find a photo that I had permission to use.  Instead you’ll have to click here to see how stunning a gray bird with a black chin can be.

(photo by Mark McConaughy taken in January 2008 during a Common Redpoll irruption in western Pennsylvania)