BLUE BIRDS SEEN IN NORTH AMERICA

Western Bluebird

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sialia Mexicana

Western Bluebird

Males have deep blue upperparts, head, and throat. Breast, breast sides, and flanks are chestnut. They have a grayish belly and undertail coverts. There are dark chestnut croissant on shoulders and upper back. The eyes are dark brown, bill, legs, and feet are black.

Females are duller than males, with brownish-gray upperparts. Their breast and flanks are tinged with dull chestnut. Their head and throat are pale gray, they have a grayish belly and undertail coverts. Their wings and tail are blue above.

Juveniles have spotted breast and back, with blue on wings and tail. They are duller than adults.

BILL: black, thin.

SIZE: small thrush, measuring about 5.9 - 7.1 inches in length.

WEIGHT: weighs about 24 - 31 grams.

COLOR: deep blue, chestnut, dark chestnut, gray, dark brown, brownish-gray and black.

Feeds primarily on insects, consume spiders, snails, and earthworms. It also eats berries and fruit.

Open conifer forests, farmlands, forest edges, streamside groves with scattered trees and grassy areas to forage.

Western North America, southwards to northern Baja California and Central Mexico.

CALL: A mellow “few”, extended in brief song “few few fawee”. Utters a chatter, to establish its territory.

The “kew” or “few” call, and “che-check” calls are used for location between mates, overall in the breeding season.

To defend territory against an intruder, the male utters a kind of “squawk”.

NEST: The female builds a loose cup nest made of twigs and weeds, and lined with finer plant materials. Sometimes helped by the male.

EGGS: 4 - 6 pale blue eggs.

INCUBATION: 12 - 18 days, female fed by the male.

They live in small groups in winter, numbers depend on food resources. These groups provide protection from predators. This species has helpers at nest, as older offspring, or birds without a mate (dead), or a free pair after a nest failure.