Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Content and photos by James Giroux
(Featured photo: Male Eastern Bluebird)
There are a few birds that the general public can easily identify, or at least have heard of. The Cardinal, Blue Jay, Mockingbird and a few others. The Eastern Bluebird is in that group of birds that are familiar to many. The biggest reason for this is that bluebirds are a yard bird, especially in large rural yards.
Female
If you are fortunate enough to have a largish rural yard, and live in the Central or Eastern U.S. you can attract Eastern Bluebirds by providing dried mealworms at a feeder and/or setting up a nest box. Many children and adults have had the enjoyment of watching bluebirds build their nest, lay their eggs, seeing newly hatched birds and then watching the adults constantly bringing food to the babies. The male bluebird chooses the nesting site, and then goes about trying to attract a female to “his place”. He does this by holding nesting materials in his beak, waving his wings and going in and out of the nest hole. But once the female has been attracted, building the nest is up to her.
Eastern Bluebirds usually lay 4-5 eggs, and have two sets of young (broods) in a given spring/summer. The first brood leaves their parents in the summer, but the second brood will often stay with their parents throughout the winter. They often need additional help finding food during the winter.
If you are interested in setting up a bluebird box, you can find everything you need to know about it here: CornellLab Nest Watch: Eastern Bluebird.
Eastern Bluebirds have a couple cousins that live in the western U.S. – the Western Bluebird, and the Mountain Bluebird. The Western Bluebird is very similar, but can be distinguished from the Eastern by its blue throat. The male Mountain Bluebird is a real beauty, and is solid blue.
Right: Eastern, Center: Western, Left: Mountain
Bluebirds can be found in the Austin area at Commons Ford Park near the barn area, and at Hornsby Bend near the parking lot.
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