.Eastern Bluebird

by Karen Hunyadi

The Eastern Bluebird is in the phylum Chordata and is included in the Turdidae (thrush) family. The Eastern Bluebird is distinguished for its beautiful blue coloring in both male and female birds although there are some slight differences between sexes. The male bluebird’s upper body and wings are bright blue, his throat, breast and sides are a dull cinnamon-rufous color and his belly is white. The female bluebird’s upper body generally has a grayish tinge and her breasts and sides are a paler blue then the males. Both the male and female bluebirds are generally 6-7 inches when they are fully grown.

The Eastern bluebird can be found anywhere from Canada to the Austral zones. In the United States, the bluebird is found mostly in the Southern states, including Virginia. It is not rare or unusual for someone to spot a Bluebird in Southwestern Virginia. The Eastern Bluebird can be found living in open woodlands, orchards, man-made sites, and around farms. You can find bluebirds nesting in tree cavities, in old woodpecker holes in trees or wood posts, in nest boxes, or in similar sites. Bluebirds are secondary cavity nesters, meaning that they are incapable of creating their own nest cavities and are dependent upon natural cavities made by woodpeckers, etc. As these trees are cut down to clear for development purposes, the natural cavities are less and less available to bluebirds. Many Bluebird Associations ask that people build nest boxes to help provide homes and shelter to the Bluebirds.

The Eastern Bluebird feeds on a wide variety of animals and plants such as beetles, weevils, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, insects, spiders, centipedes, sowbugs, snails, and fleshy fruits. The bluebird catches its prey while flying through the sky, landing in a tree, or by walking in the grass. The Eastern Bluebird has predatory animals to fear, including raccoons, snakes, cats, and squirrels.

Some interesting facts about bluebirds are that they migrate during the daytime and begin their nesting period from March to October. You can identify a Bluebird’s nest by checking to see if it is made mostly of grass. The last interesting piece of information I learned about the Eastern Bluebird is that they have been known to begin their song at about 3:35 am.

Written fall 2000, as a service learning project for Dr. Gary Coté's Biology 102 class at Radford University. Copyright Pathways for Radford.