A vivid blue-and-rust thrush that nearly vanished from the eastern US in the mid-1900s due to nest competition with introduced starlings and house sparrows. Citizen-led nest box programs have dramatically restored populations.

Also called: Common Bluebird, Blue Robin

Native status: Native; widespread; recovered

§ Quick facts

SizeBody 16–21 cm (6.3–8.3 in); wingspan 25–32 cm
Weight27–34 g
LifespanWild typically 2 years; oldest documented 10
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyTurdidae

§ Encyclopedia

The eastern bluebird is a small North American migratory thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands, and orchards.

Source: Wikipedia — Eastern bluebird Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Small thrush with deep blue back and head; rusty-orange throat and breast; white belly. Females duller — grayish back with blue wings and tail.

Similar species. Western Bluebird (blue throat). Mountain Bluebird (no rusty breast). Indigo Bunting (entirely blue, no orange).

Voice. Soft warbled "chur-wi" song; rich "chir-rup" calls.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Insects (caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers) in warm months; berries (mistletoe, holly, sumac, dogwood) in winter.

Behavior. Cavity-nester that depends almost entirely on old woodpecker holes and (since the 1970s) backyard nest boxes. The North American Bluebird Society and the spread of nest-box trails rescued populations from severe declines caused by competition with introduced House Sparrows and European Starlings. State bird of Missouri and New York.

§ Range

Eastern North America from southern Canada to Nicaragua

§ Habitat

Open woodlands, orchards, parks, fields with scattered trees

§ Threats

Nest cavity competition with non-native birds, pesticide-driven insect declines, habitat loss.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the eastern bluebird is currently classified as Least Concern.

§ What helps

Install a properly designed bluebird nest box. Skip lawn pesticides. Join the North American Bluebird Society monitoring network.

Support our work More ways to help

§ Further reading

§ Sources cited

  • Cornell Lab — All About Birds
  • North American Bluebird Society
  • National Audubon Society
  • IUCN Red List 2018