Species

Eastern bluebird

Sialia sialis

A small thrush of open country, sky-blue and rust, whose comeback was built on nest boxes.

Photo Paul Danese (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Nesting

At a glance

Size: About 16 to 21 cm long
Weight: About 27 to 34 g
Habitat: Open fields, pastures, orchards, golf courses and yards with scattered trees
Diet: Insects in summer; berries in winter
In Georgia: Common resident statewide
Voice: A soft, warbled "tu-a-wee"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Bright blue above; rusty throat and breast; white belly
Female: Greyer with blue in the wings and tail
Told apart from: Blue jay, which is larger with a crest
Told apart from: Indigo bunting, which is all blue with a thick bill
Where to look: Wires, fence posts and nest boxes in open country

Behaviour

Eastern bluebirds hunt from low perches, dropping to the ground to catch insects. In winter they form small flocks and eat berries such as holly and dogwood.

Why they matter

Eastern bluebirds declined in the twentieth century as dead trees were removed and house sparrows and starlings took nest holes. Nest-box trails put up by volunteers brought them back — one of the great community conservation successes.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup of grass in a cavity or nest box
Eggs — Usually three to six, pale blue
Incubation — About 11 to 19 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents; young from earlier broods sometimes help
Flight — At about 16 to 21 days
Broods — Two or three a year
Lifespan — A few years

Living around people

Nest boxes with a 3.8 cm entrance hole, mounted on poles with predator guards in open areas, are used readily.
Monitoring boxes and removing house sparrow nests helps bluebirds.
Native berry-bearing shrubs feed them in winter.

Misconceptions

Bluebirds leave in winter. Most Georgia bluebirds stay all year.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Small flocks eating berries	Pairs checking nest boxes	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Second broods	Third broods	Young fledging	Families	Flocks	Flocks	Flocks

Where it lives

Recorded in 68 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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