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20 Interesting Bluebird Facts

Bluebirds are one of the most popular and beloved birds in North America. They are known for their beauty, sweet songs, and gentle nature. Bluebirds are important members of the ecosystem, helping to control populations of harmful insects. Bluebird populations have declined in recent decades due to habitat loss and competition from other cavity nesters such as house sparrows. However, there are a number of things that people can do to help bluebirds, such as providing them with nesting boxes and planting native plants that attract insects. 

Bluebirds are not only beautiful but also serve as important indicators of environmental health. Conservation efforts continue to protect their habitats and provide nesting opportunities to maintain their populations and the joy they bring to bird-enthusiasts. Let us look at 20 interesting facts about Bluebirds.

1. There are three species of bluebirds in North America

The bluebird contains three species. These include; eastern bluebirds, western bluebirds, and mountain bluebirds. 

Eastern bluebirds are the most common, and they can be found in forests, woodlands, and open areas throughout eastern North America. Western bluebirds are found in the western United States and Canada, while mountain bluebirds are found in the Rocky Mountains and other high-elevation areas.

 2. Bluebirds are cavity nesters

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This means they build their nests in holes in trees or other structures. They often use old woodpecker holes, but they will also nest in nesting boxes provided by humans. 

Bluebird populations have declined in recent decades due to habitat loss and competition from other cavity nesters such as house sparrows. However, there are a number of things that people can do to help bluebirds, such as providing them with nesting boxes and planting native plants that attract insects. 

3. Bluebirds are monogamous and usually mate for life

Bluebirds are widely known to be monogamous unlike other birds. Males identify potential nest sites and try to attract prospective female mates to those nesting sites with special behaviors that include singing and flapping wings and then placing some material in a nesting box or cavity. If the female accepts the male and the nesting site, she alone builds the nest and incubates the eggs.

Bluebirds lay 4-6 eggs per clutch, and the female incubates the eggs for about 12 days. Bluebird chicks fledge, meaning, they leave the nest about 16-18 days after hatching. Bluebirds typically raise two broods per year.

4. Bluebirds are insectivores

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This means their diet consists mainly of insects. They eat a variety of insects, including caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and spiders. 

Bluebirds are important predators of pests, and they help to keep insect populations under control. Bluebirds’ consumption of insects makes them popular with gardeners.

5. Bluebird populations have declined in recent decades

By the 1970s, bluebird numbers had declined by estimates ranging to 70% due to unsuccessful competition with house sparrows and starlings, both introduced species, for nesting cavities, coupled with a decline in habitat. 

In late 2005, Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology reported bluebird sightings across South America. As part of its yearly Backyard Bird Count, a strong indication of the bluebird’s return to the region. This upsurge can be attributed largely to a movement of volunteers establishing and maintaining bluebird trails.

6. The western bluebird has a blue or grey throat

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The western bluebird is a small stocky bird with a length of 15 to 18 cm. The adult male is bright blue on top and on the throat with an orange breast and sides, a brownish patch on the back, and a grey belly and undertail coverts. The adult female has a duller blue body, wings, and tail, a gray throat, a dull orange breast, and a gray belly and undertail coverts. 

Both sexes have a thin straight bill with a fairly short tail. Immature birds have duller colours than the adults and have spots on their chest and back. Their calling consists of the mating songs which sound like cheer,chur-chur, and chup. This helps male western bluebirds find the females easily in the condensed forests. The males use these calls to tell competing males that the territory belongs to them.

7. Bluebirds are a symbol of happiness

The symbol of a bluebird as the bringer of happiness is found in many cultures and may date back thousands of years. In Russian fairy tales, the bluebird is a symbol of hope. Most to the point, a bluebird of happiness features in ancient Lorraine folklore.

8. The Eastern Bluebird is the state bird of Missouri and New York

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The eastern bluebird is a small North American migratory thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands, and orchards. 

The bright-blue breeding plumage of the male, easily observed on a wire or open perch, makes this species a favourite of birders. The male’s call includes sometimes soft warbles of jeew or chir-wi, or the melodious song chiti wewidoo. The Eastern Bluebird is the state bird of Missouri and New York.

9. Some bluebird species migrate south during the winter to warmer climates

Bluebirds feed by perching on a high point, such as a branch or fence post, and swooping down to catch insects on or near the ground. The availability of a winter food source will often determine whether or not a bird will migrate. 

If bluebirds do remain in a region for the winter, they group and seek cover in heavy thickets, orchards, or other areas in which adequate food and cover resources are available.

10. The mountain bluebird is an omnivore 

Dominic Sherony, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The mountain bluebird is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada. It has a light underbelly and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills and are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat lighter underneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, grey breast, grey crown, throat and back. 

In fresh fall plumage, the female’s throat and breast are tinged with red-orange which is brownish near the flank, contrasting with white tail underparts. This bird is an omnivore and it can live 6 to 10 years in the wild. It eats spiders, grasshoppers, flies and other insects, and small fruits. The mountain bluebird is a relative of the eastern and western bluebirds.

11. There are natural predators that go after bluebirds

Predators of young bluebirds in the nests can include snakes, cats, and raccoons. Bird species competing with bluebirds for nesting locations include the common starling, American crow, and house sparrow, which take over the nesting sites of bluebirds, killing young, smashing eggs, and probably killing adult bluebirds.

12. Bluebird eggs are pale blue or occasionally white

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Once the nest is built, the female bird will lay an egg a day. Eggs are pale blue and unmarked, sometimes white.  The color of these eggs are very unique as compared to other birds. The clutch size is four or five eggs and she will incubate them for about two weeks.

Young are naked and helpless at hatching and may have some down. The young will usually take about 21 days before they leave the nest, and it can take up to two months to raise fledglings to a stage of development at which they are able to fend and provide for themselves.

13. Bluebirds are territorial birds

Bluebirds prefer open grassland with scattered trees. This is similar to the behavior of many species of woodpeckers. Bluebirds can typically produce between two and four broods during the spring and summer. 

Males identify potential nest sites and try to attract prospective female mates to those nesting sites with special behaviours that include singing and flapping wings and then placing some material in a nesting box or cavity. If the female accepts the male and the nesting site, she alone builds the nest and incubates the eggs.

14. Industrial noise can have a negative effect on breeding mountain bluebirds

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When mountain bluebirds were exposed to this noise, it caused decreased baseline corticosterone levels in adults and nestlings, increased acute stress-induced corticosterone levels, and reduced fitness. The combined effect of decreased baseline and increased acute corticosterone may reduce the fitness of these birds by making them susceptible to inflammation and disease.

Another study found that when nest boxes were set up in areas near industrial noise and in quiet control areas, there was a lower occupancy of the mountain bluebird at noisy sites, presumably because the noise reduces hatching success. Hatching success may be reduced in noisy areas as a result of increased distraction and increased vigilance behavior by females. 

15. Both male and female bluebirds participate in incubation 

After the couple decides together on an ideal nesting site, the female will typically build their nest themselves out of thin, dry material from the surrounding landscape while the male protects the area, defending against unwelcome visitors. It is true, though, that both males and females fiercely protect the nest. 

Once the nest is built, the female will lay an egg a day. Eggs are pale blue and unmarked, sometimes white. The clutch size is four or five eggs and she will incubate them for about two weeks. Young are naked and helpless at hatching and may have some down. The young will usually take about 21 days before they leave the nest, and it can take up to two months to raise fledglings to a stage of development at which they are able to fend and provide for themselves.

Both parents cooperate in raising the young, and they feed a diet consisting almost entirely of insects. Some young stay around the nest to help raise another brood. Fledglings are greyish in color, with speckled breasts. The blue color becomes much more prominent and the speckles on their breasts disappear as they mature. Bluebirds may begin breeding the summer after they are hatched. 

16. Bluebirds are known for their melodious and cheerful songs

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During breeding, the male can be seen singing from bare branches. The singing takes place right at dawn, just when the sun rises. 

Males identify potential nest sites and try to attract prospective female mates to those nesting sites with special behaviors that include singing and flapping wings and then placing some material in a nesting box or cavity.

17. Bluebirds tend to live in open country around trees

Original habitats probably included open, frequently burned pine savannas, beaver ponds, mature but open woods, and forest openings. Today, they are most common along pastures, agricultural fields, suburban parks, backyards, and even golf courses. 

Populations also occur across eastern North America and south as far as Nicaragua. Birds that live farther north and in the west of the range tend to lay more eggs than eastern and southern birds.

18. Bluebird mating occurs in the spring and summer

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A mature female typically raises two broods each season. Nests are constructed in trees within abandoned woodpecker holes or other cavities that provide adequate protection, usually several feet above ground. Construction of the nest is done primarily by the female and takes around 10 days to complete. 

These nests are small, cup-like structures lined with grass, feathers, stems, and hairs. Each female lays three to seven light-blue or, rarely, white eggs. The female incubates the eggs, which hatch after 13 to 16 days. The young cannot care for themselves upon hatching. The female broods the chicks for up to seven days after hatching. Fledglings then leave the nest 15 to 20 days after hatching.

19. Bluebirds typically live for 6 to 10 years in the wild

The longest recorded lifespan for a bluebird is 10 years and five months. However, most bluebirds die within their first year of life. Starvation and freezing are a danger to the young, but most threats come from other animals, including humans. Natural predators of eggs and nestlings can include eastern chipmunks, flying squirrels, American black bears, fire ants, and raccoons. 

Bluebirds of all ages including adults are threatened by rat snakes, racers, American kestrels, and domestic cats. Introduced species such as European starlings and house sparrows are competitors for nesting sites. Non-nesting adults face predation by all native species of falcons, owls, and most varieties of hawks, particularly those in the genus Accipiter. When approached by a predator, the male makes a song-like warning cry. If no male is present, a threatened female will begin to sing, hoping to attract a protective male back to the territory. Both males and females also flick their wings and warble when predators are nearby.

20. Bluebird’s breeding habitat is open country across western North America

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This includes mountainous areas, as far north as Alaska. Although mountain bluebirds can be found in some states year-round, their range is expansive, they generally migrate south to Mexico in the winter and north into western Canada and even Alaska in the summer. Depending on the time of year, they may be ubiquitous in mountain environments like grasslands or landscapes of sagebrush, where trees and shrubs are fairly spread out.

To conclude, Bluebirds are a beautiful and fascinating bird species that play an important role in the environment. By learning more about bluebirds and what we can do to help them, we can ensure that these beautiful and useful birds continue to thrive for generations to come.