Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoidesOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Thrushes (Turdidae)

Codes: Common Name: MOBL Scientific Name: SIACUR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179811

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Overview

Mountain Bluebird: Small thrush with brilliant blue back, head, and wings. Throat and breast are paler blue, and belly and undertail coverts are white. Hovers more than other bluebirds and drops on prey from above, also catches insects in flight. Eats mostly insects in the summer.

Range and Habitat

Mountain Bluebird: Breeds in open habitats in southern Alaska, Mackenzie, and Manitoba south to western Nebraska, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. Spends winters in British Columbia and Montana south through western U.S. Inhabits high mountain meadows with scattered trees and bushes; in winter, descends to lower elevations in plains and grasslands.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"tru-lee", "phew"

Interesting Facts

Mountain Bluebirds can be seen hovering in the air, in a hawk-like manner, a meter or more above the ground searching for a food item.

They are partial to insects—studies indicate that up to 92% of their diet is composed of animal matter.

It is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada.

A group of thrushes are collectively known as a "hermitage" and a "mutation" of thrushes.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Related Birds

Western Bluebird
Indigo Bunting
Blue Grosbeak
Eastern Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Mountain Bluebird

● Song: "tru-lee", "phew"

● Foraging & Feeding: Mountain Bluebird: Eats insects, fruits, and berries. Forages from a perch, dropping to catch prey on the ground; also hovers above prey before capture.

● Breeding & nesting: Mountain Bluebird: Five to six pale blue to blue white eggs are laid in a nest made of grass and plant fibers and built in a natural cavity or box. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Mountain Bluebird: Eastern and Western bluebirds have red on underparts; females lack gray throats and bellies. Indigo Bunting and Blue Grosbeak have thicker, conical bills.

Flight Pattern

Slow flight with shallow wing beats.

Mountain Bluebird Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Mountain Bluebird: Breeds in open habitats in southern Alaska, Mackenzie, and Manitoba south to western Nebraska, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. Spends winters in British Columbia and Montana south through western U.S. Inhabits high mountain meadows with scattered trees and bushes; in winter, descends to lower elevations in plains and grasslands.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationFairly common, Declining

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.1 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Undertail coverts

Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America