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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing bluebirds. There are three living bluebird species: the eastern bluebird, the western bluebird, and the mountain bluebird. The mountain bluebird is also known as the bluest of bluebirds because the males come fully blue, though sometimes they appear grayish blue. Male eastern and western bluebirds have a red chest and can be told apart by their plumage. Eastern bluebird males have red throats and white bellies while western bluebird males have blue throats and gray bellies. All three species have overlapping ranges in small areas. They live from Alaska and Canada to Mexico and Honduras. Some are residents, meaning they remain in the same place year round while others travel to lower latitudes during the coldest parts of the year. Outside of the breeding season, they form flocks. These can number a handful of related individuals for eastern and western bluebirds to dozens of birds including other bird species for mountain bluebirds. In areas where their ranges overlap, different bluebird species can be seen at the same time!

Bluebirds communicate with songs and have different calls for different situations. Here are some of their calls. One of the reasons they call is to find a mate. Bluebirds tend to form monogamous pairs during the breeding season which begins in spring and lasts through summer. There are, however, observations of bluebirds mating with other partners, though these are typically prevented by nesting helpers. Each season a pair produces two broods. The young from the first brood stick around to help raise the second brood. Bluebirds nest in tree cavities like abandoned woodpecker holes. Three to seven light blue eggs are laid in a nest, and the female does all the incubating. This lasts for about two weeks. The chicks are fully dependent on their parents for their first three weeks of life until they're ready to leave the nest. They'll continue to receive support from their parents for a few weeks after. Bluebirds begin breeding after they reach a year old. They've been documented living to ten years old in the wild, however, their mortality is high in their first year of life which skews their average lifespan.

Young bluebirds and eggs are predated by chipmunks and mice looking to take over nests. They also face threats from raccoons, snakes, fire ants, and domestic cats. Adults may be taken by hawks and falcons and face competition from non-native species like starlings and house sparrows who utilize the same nesting niche. Wildfires, which can be devastating to some species, are actually beneficial to bluebirds. Fires clear the forest understory, leaving open expanses in which the birds easily hunt their food!

Bluebirds average 7 inches (18cm) in length from beak to tail and weigh 1 ounce (30g), or about the weight of a plastic pen. Mountain and eastern bluebirds prefer open grasslands with scattered trees for perching. They're commonly seen in parks and other human made settings. Western bluebirds stick to forest edges and don't like vast open areas without areas to perch. They need perches so they can hunt. These birds wait on a perch and survey the ground beneath. They can spot prey up to 60 feet (18m) away. When spotted, they'll dive down and land on top of their meal. Bluebirds eat more invertebrates in warmer months like beetle grubs, grasshoppers, spiders, cricket, and more. During colder months they eat fruits like blackberries and wild grapes.

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