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Bluebirds Of North America

By admin on December 23rd, 2011

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There are three species of these colorful North American birds. Eastern and Western bluebirds have a reddish brown breast, which contrasts with their predominately blue plumage. Their relative, the (male) Mountain bluebird is entirely blue.

Eastern bluebirds are primarily found east of the Rockies, and range from Canada to Mexico and Honduras. They are much admired for their lovely coloring and for a distinctive song that many hear as "chur-lee, chur-lee." The Eastern Bluebird is the state bird of both New York and Missouri.

Western Bluebirds are found west of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico. The Mountain Bluebird also inhabits much of western North America - often at elevations above 7,000 feet (2,133 meters).

Bluebirds eat small fruits and hunt insects, spiders, and other small creatures. The birds perch, watch, and then swoop to the ground to pounce on their prey much like an eagle or hawk would.

Pairs mate in spring and summer, when they construct small, bowl-shaped nests. Females lay four or five eggs and incubate them for about two weeks. Young remain in the nest, cared for by both parents, for an additional 15 to 20 days. Bluebirds often have two broods in a season. Sometimes, a young Bluebird from the first brood will remain in the nest and assist its' parents in caring for the second.

Bluebirds living in higher latitudes may head south if food becomes scarce or temperatures are too cold. Mountain bluebirds typically migrate to lower elevations during the same lean seasons.

Bluebirds are considered fairly common, but their numbers have declined substantially during the last century. Populations have been given a boost by the birdhouse boxes that have become popular in many parks and backyards and more people putting out food to attract them to their yards.

Attracting Bluebirds

Many people think that all you need to do to attract bluebirds is to offer them housing. Well, this is certainly a key first step. There are several other ways you can help and enjoy bluebirds even more. A real key is water - make it available because like most rushes, Bluebirds bathe with enthusiasm and are readily attracted to water. Often a simple birdbath will do the trick - check out the new ones that we have in stock. A key is to position the bath so there is a perching site nearby for the birds to preen after their bath. Many of you will have Bluebirds coming right on your deck if you use a heated bird bath in the winter.

Offer Food - the key here is to think of what Bluebirds want to eat. The answer generally is insects. The best way to start is to offer mealworms on a platform or in a bluebird feeder. We sell mealworms at The Bird Feeder Shop because they are the favorite of Bluebirds and other types of birds, and at 50.4% protein are an excellent nutritional source. You can start feeding mealworms in a cup or pan - but because many birds like them they will eat you out of house and home! Most people graduate to a Blue Bird feeder. A Bluebird feeder is designed so the bluebirds have to go through an entrance to find worms and few birds besides the bluebird will do so. You might spend weeks trying different presentations of worms before bluebirds learn to dine regularly, but the results are worth it, as bluebird's are delightfully trainable even to the point of responding to whistles and other calls when your feeder is refilled.

Provide perches and natural foods. Bluebirds like perches within sight of their home where they can scan the ground for insects. Small trees pruned to create a clear line of sight from the lower branches are ideal or tomato stakes with cross pieces on the top can work.

You may check out our our store The Bird Feeder Shop on the Internet for the items I wrote about to attract Bluebirds to your yard.