Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoidesOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Thrushes (Turdidae)

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

Breeding Location:

Grassland with scattered trees, Mountains

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common, Declining

Egg Color:

Pale blue to blue white

Number of Eggs:

5 - 6

Incubation Days:

13 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with plant material., Grasses

Migration:

Migratory

General

Mountain Bluebird: Small thrush with sky-blue back, head, and wings. Throat and breast are paler blue, and belly and undertail coverts are white. Female is gray overall with blue wings, rump and tail, and has faint eye-ring. Juvenile resembles female but has spotted underparts.

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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and 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.

Readily Eats

Raisins, Currants, Nut Meal

Vocalization

Mountain Bluebird: Song consists of a soft, melodious warble "tru-lee." Call is a "phew."

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.

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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

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.

● 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

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

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.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the 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