The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia
sialis, is a small thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards,
and most recently can be spotted in suburban areas. It is the state bird of New York. They are found
east of the Rockies, southern Canada
to the Gulf States and southeastern Arizona to Nicaragua.
Description
The Eastern Bluebird is a small
thrush with a big, rounded head, large eye, plump body, and alert posture. The
wings are long, but the tail and legs are fairly short. The bill is short and
straight. Adult males are bright blue on top and have a reddish brown throat
and breast. Adult females have lighter blue wings and tail, a brownish throat
and breast and a grey crown and back.
Call
The call is musical, typically
2-noted too-lee. This call is also given in flight. The song is a
mellow series of warbled phrases and varied.
Food
The diet consists mainly of
insects and other invertebrates with a small amount of wild fruits. Favored
insect foods include grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and beetles. Fruits are
especially important when insects are scarce in the winter months. 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.
Breeding
Nests in open woodland,
second-growth habitats, and along the edges of fields and pastures, placing
nest in cavity. These birds commonly use nest boxes as well as old woodpecker
holes. The nest is made of grasses, plant stems, pine needles, and lined with
hair, feathers, and fine grasses. The female lays between 3 to 6 pale blue eggs
which are incubated by the female for 13 to 16 days and the young will leave
the nest within 15 to 20 days. The male will often keep feeding the fledglings
while the female begins a second nest.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Although doing well now, Eastern
Bluebird populations declined to a level raising extinction fears by the 1960s,
and in large part, the volunteer intervention of bluebird lovers in Eastern North America brought the species back. The most
significant factor in the recent population recovery is volunteerism - by young
and old - people like you - doing their part by putting up and monitoring nest
boxes, spreading the word, and encouraging others to get involved.
Bird watching
Most of the country drives during
an eastern North American summer will turn up a few Eastern Bluebirds sitting
on telephone wires or perched atop a nest box, then abruptly dropping to the
ground after an insect.
New
York Hotspots
Jamaica Bay NWR
Braddock Bay
New
York Central Park
Arverne Piping
Plover Nesting Area
Breezy Point
Floyd Bennett
Field
Fort Tilden/Riis
Park
Greenwood Cemetery
Prospect Park
Ferd's Bog - Eagle Bay, NY
Derby Hill - Mexico, NY
Sulphur Springs Road - Sauquoit,
NY
Bear Mountain State Park
Bare Hill
Finger Lakes National Forest - GORP
Hi Tor / West River
Wildlife Management Area
Hoskins Woods -
The Nature Conservancy
Howland Island Wildlife Management Area
Seneca Lake State Park
Stid Hill W.M.A.
West Hill
Preserve - The Nature Conservancy
West Side of Canandaigua Lake - Ms. Barbara Lyons
The Little Lakes
Tifft Nature
Preserve
Derby Hill Bird
Observatory
Hamlin Beach
State Park and Highland Park.
Iroquois NWR
H.G. Reist
Wildlife Sanctuary
Alley Pond
Park
Udall's Park
Preserve
Cunningham Park
Kissena Park
Forest Park
Willow Lake Natural Area
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Fort Tilden
and Jacob Riis Parks
Derby Hill Bird
Observatory
Dunkirk Harbor
Lime Hollow
Nature Center
Finger Lakes National Forest
Fire
Island National
Seashore
Mashomack
Preserve
Roger Tory
Peterson Institute of Natural History
Tillman Road Wildlife Management Area
Long
Island Refuges Complex
Montezuma
National Wildlife Refuge
Iroquois National
Wildlife Refuge
Moss Lake
- Allegheny County
El
Dorado Beach Preserve - Jefferson County
Sandy Pond
Beach Preserve - Oswego
Chaumont Barrens
- Jefferson County