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D & D Wildlife Photography
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The Western Bluebird is similar in appearance to the Eastern Bluebird. The western species can be distinguished from its eastern relative by the sky blue color of the chin, throat, wings, and tail. Western Bluebirds also have chestnut-red breasts, flanks, and shoulders. In some birds, the back is partially or entirely blue. The belly and undertail coverts are blue gray. Most birds show some chestnut on shoulders and upper back. The male's upperparts and throat are a deep purple blue. Western Bluebirds can be found in the Southwest and all along the West Coast of the United States. This species is generally residential but moves to lower elevations for the winter months.Western Bluebirds feast on a variety of invertebrates, including caterpil- lars, grasshoppers, beetles, ants, and snails. In winter, their diet includes wild berries.
Females build their nests in the natural cavities of snags or rotting trees, in woodpecker holes, or in nest boxes. These nests can be anywhere from 4 to 40 feet above the ground. The nest is a loose collection of grasses, weed stems, and, sometimes, hair and feathers. They lay four to six pale blue, bluish-white, or white eggs and may raise two broods a year.
Length: 7 inches
Habitat: Open habitats with scattered trees, such as farmland, orchards, and the edges of open coniferous and deciduous forests.
Voice: Call is a mellow "few," extended in brief song to a "few few fawee."
Other Behavior: Some populations of Western Bluebirds migrate to southern latitudes for the winter months, while other populations are residential. Nevertheless, even residential individuals move to lower elevations in winter. Both adults tend the young, feeding them mostly soft- bodied insects. After 19 to 22 days, the young fledge, but they don't reach full independence for three to four weeks. The male may continue to care for the young by himself while the female begins to renest.
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