Mountain Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Sialia currucoides
At a Glance
The powder-blue male Mountain Bluebird is among the most beautiful birds of the West. Living in more open terrain than the other two bluebirds, this species may nest in holes in cliffs or dirt banks when tree hollows are not available. It often seeks its food by hovering low over the grass in open fields. During the winter, Mountain Bluebirds often gather in large flocks, even by the hundreds, sometimes associating with Western Bluebirds.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds, Thrushes
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Desert and Arid Habitats, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, Forests and Woodlands, High Mountains, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Flitter
Population
5.600.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Migrates relatively late in fall and early in spring. Winter range varies from year to year, depending on food supplies. Mountain Bluebird flocks sometimes wander east on Great Plains, and lone strays occasionally go as far as the Atlantic Coast.
Description
Sexes similar; male slightly larger — Length: 6.3 - 7.9 in (16 - 20 cm); wingspan: 11.8 - 14.2 in (30 - 36 cm); weight: 0.8 - 1.3 oz (24 - 37 g). Sky-blue male Mountain Bluebird is very distinct; other all-blue birds, like Indigo Bunting, are much darker. The female is gray with blue tinges; gray flanks contrast with white belly; longer wings and tail than other bluebirds.
Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Blue, Gray, White
Wing Shape
Long, Pointed
Tail Shape
Notched, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
Soft warbling notes.
Call Pattern
Falling, Flat, Undulating
Call Type
Chirp/Chip, Warble, Whistle
Habitat
Open country with some trees; in winter, also treeless terrain. They are often found in more open areas than other bluebirds. Breeding habitats are not always in mountains, with Mountain Bluebird occurring in lowland prairies and sagebrush flats as well as alpine zones above treeline. In winter, they are most common in pinyon-juniper woods but also in open grassland, desert, farmland, even barren plowed fields.
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Behavior
Eggs
They lay 5–6 eggs, sometimes 4–8. Eggs are pale blue and unmarked (occasionally white). Incubation, performed by the female Mountain Bluebird, lasts about 13–17 days.
Young
Both parents feed nestlings. A young Mountain Bluebird leaves the nest about 17-23 days after hatching and are tended by parents for another 3-4 weeks. 2 broods per year.
Feeding Behavior
Often forages by hovering over open fields, then dropping to the ground when prey is spotted; The Mountain Bluebird hovers more than other bluebirds. It also perches on a rock or low branch and darts out to catch flying insects.
Diet
Mostly insects and berries. Feeds heavily on insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, crickets, ants, bees, and others. A Mountain Bluebird can also be found eating berries of mistletoe, juniper, hackberry, and other plants. Berries are particularly important for their diet in winter.
Nesting
Mountain Bluebird sometimes interbreeds with Eastern Bluebird where their ranges overlap. The female selects the nest site. Most nests are built in cavities. Typically these cavities are natural hollows, old woodpecker holes in trees, or nest boxes. It may also use holes in dirt banks, crevices in cliffs or rock piles, openings in buildings, and occasionally old nests of other species such as Cliff Swallow or American Dipper. The nest, likely constructed by both sexes, is a loose cup made of grasses, weed stems, twigs, rootlets, and pine needles. It is often lined with animal hair or feathers.
Conservation
Conservation Status
Mountain Bluebird nests in many remote areas. This leads to less competition for nest sites with starlings or other invaders than the other bluebird species. Numbers of the Mountain Bluebird are apparently stable.
Climate Threats Facing the Mountain Bluebird
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
