Day 16: Eastern Bluebird

Everyone should recognize today's bird by its vibrant blue plumage. There are three species of bluebirds found in the U.S., and in Maryland we only have the Eastern Bluebird.

Adult males are bright blue on top and have a reddish brown throat and breast. Females are duller in color, with lighter blue wings and a brownish throat and breast.

 Female Eastern Bluebird

For nesting, Eastern Bluebirds depend on naturally occurring cavities or on cavities excavated or built by others in open habitats. Nesting competition is real problem for Eastern Bluebird populations. House Sparrows and other opportunistic birds are known to enter boxes where bluebirds are nesting, killing young and destroying nests. In the 1960s, Eastern Bluebird populations declined to a level raising extinction fears, but intervention practices (such as changing the size and scale of nesting boxes to discourage other birds) have helped establish a stable population.