The Mountain Bluebird - Sialia
currucoides – is migratory, from Mexico
in the winter to as far north as Alaska.
Northern birds migrate to the southern parts of the range. Southern birds are
often permanent residents. Some birds may move to lower elevations in winter.
They inhabit open rangelands, meadows, generally at elevations above 5,000
feet. It is the state bird of Nevada.
Description
They have light underbellies and
black eyes. Adult males have thin bills are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat
lighter beneath. 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; brownish near the flank contrasting with
white tail underparts.
Call
The call is a thin few and a
warbled high chur chur. The male can be seen singing from bare branches.
The singing takes place right at dawn, just when the sun rises.
Food
They mainly eat insects and
berries. These birds hover over the ground and fly down to catch insects, also
flying from a perch to catch them. They may forage in flocks in winter, when
they mainly eat grasshoppers. Mountain bluebirds will come to a platform feeder
with live meal worms, berries, or peanuts.
Breeding
Mountain bluebirds are a monogamous
breed. Females usually build the nests themselves. The female lays 4 to 5
pale blue, sometimes white eggs. Incubation normally last 14 days and the young
will take about 21 days before they leave the nest. Both males and females
fiercely protect the nest.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Mountain bluebirds are not a
species of concern in the United
States. The turn around in Mountain bluebird
numbers is due to the overwhelming efforts of landowners in the West to provide
nest boxes for these birds. At one time, Mountain bluebird numbers were
threatened because of increased competition for decreasing natural cavity
nesting spots by other species such as Tree Swallows and the House Sparrow.
Bird watching
Mountain Bluebirds can be found
in alpine parklands in the Cascades, the Blue Mountains, and the northeast
corner of Washington.
They are absent as breeders from the Olympic Mountains.
In western Washington, they can be found
locally near Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens.
In eastern Washington they can be found along
Umtanum Ridge (Yakima County), Elk
Heights (Kittitas
County), in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, and at mid-elevations on the east slope
of the Cascades in meadows and logged areas. There is a significant population
in Klickitat County around Bickleton where an
intensive nest box program has provided many nesting opportunities. The
Mountain Bluebird is the only bluebird that nests in alpine parkland and high
elevation open areas. In the winter they can be found in flocks in similar habitat
and more open, treeless terrain, but they are very uncommon.
Nevada
Hotspots
Great
Basin Bird
Observatory
China Ranch
Amargosa Canyon and River
Furnace Creek
Salt Creek
Ash Meadows
Indian and Corn
Springs
Red Rocks
Gold Butte
Stillwater NWR
USA Hemispheric Reserve
Lahontan Valley Wetlands
Fallon NWR
Anaho Island NWR
City of Henderson Bird Viewing
Preserve
Goshutes Mountains
Ruby Lake NWR
Desert National
Wildlife Range
Moapa Valley NWR
Pahranagat NWR
Sheldon NWR