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THE MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD
PINE BLUFFS — The Mountain Bluebird, (Sialia currucoides) is one of three species of bluebirds found in North America.1 All three belong to the thrush family.2 Unlike the others, Mountain Bluebirds were once thought doomed to extinction.3 That didn’t happen.
Early in the Twentieth Century, Mountain Bluebirds were seen throughout the west. But as settlers arrived and land became more valuable, Bluebird habitat was denuded of trees for farming, eliminating cavities in which they loved to nest.4 Also, more aggressive starlings and House Sparrows brought from Europe easily evicted Bluebirds from their remaining nesting sites. Something had to be done.
Recognizing the problem, bird lovers in the 1920’s started building nest boxes to reverse the decline.5 It worked. Today Mountain Bluebird numbers, though low, have stabilized. Forestry practices that removed dead trees and snags reduced available nesting cavities, but this loss has been offset by creating trails of nesting boxes. Cornell University studies indicate that a majority of Mountain Bluebirds nest in birdhouses or nest boxes provided by humans. 6
Mountain Bluebird’s Beauty Is Appealing:
Standing six inches high, the male of the species is larger than a House Sparrow, smaller than an American Robin. He’s bright blue, throat and breast a lighter blue fading to white on the abdomen.
The female’s flight feathers are pale blue; head and back mixed blue and gray, while her throat is brownish-ash blending to white on the lower breast. Very sexy if you’re a male Bluebird.
When’s A Female Mountain Bluebird Not One?
Well . . . never. But some females, with grayish-brown feathers, white belly and undertail coverts and only a touch of blue on the tail, can sometimes be mistaken for Western Bluebird females. Distinguish her by the lack of chestnut coloring on her breast.7
This Bird Get Around:
Mountain Bluebirds are found in western Canada and the United States, at elevations from 5,000 to 12,500 feet. Heavy concentrations exist in Washington‘s Columbia River Valley and in Arizona’s White Mountains.8
Wyoming has a generous share. Here, the U.S. Geological Survey actively monitors the Mountain Bluebird. A Breeding Bird Survey done last June aided by volunteers revealed a goodly number statewide.9
Hawk-like Hovercraft?
Like their thrush kin, Mountain Bluebirds are ground feeders --- they prefer low grass only a few inches high, recently burned areas and clear cuts. Insects such as beetles, weevils, ants, wasps, flies and grasshoppers are their diet. They rarely eat seeds or berries.10
So what’s unique? Where elevated perches aren’t available for them to spy their prey, they’ll forage by hovering in the air hawk-like, searching the ground below. Other thrush family members don’t use this hovering technique.11
Meeting and Mating:
In Wyoming, males return to the same breeding grounds annually. Females arrive a few weeks later. These feathered friends are generally monogamous. Males jealously guard their mates from the time a pair forms until the female lays her eggs.12
Conclusion:
For two hundred years, Mountain Bluebirds have been among Wyoming’s best-loved birds. Their flashing beauty, alluring voice and trusting manner appeal to all who see them.
1 www.ffdp.ca/hww2p.asp?id; Hinterland Who’s Who, Description, p.1
2 Ibid, Hinterland, Description, p.1
3 Ibid, Hinterland, Conservation, p.3
4 Ibid, Hinterland, Conservation, p.3
5 Ibid, Hinterland, Conservation, p.3
6 http://birds.cornell.edu/bow/moublb/; Mountain Bluebird, p.1
7 Ibid, Mountain Bluebird, p.2
8 http://birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/; The Birdhouse Network, p.1
9 www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov; U.S. Geological Survey, Breeding Bird Survey Map.
10 http://birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/; The Birdhouse Network, p.2
11 www.ffdp.ca/hww2p.asp?id; Hinterland Who’s Who, Unique Characteristic, p.2
12 http://birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/; The Birdhouse Network, p.2