Bluebirds are an early summer favorite

Eastern and western bluebirds are among the most favorite of spring songbirds.

Populations have made great strides in stabilizing since the species almost became extinct. The eastern bluebird can be found in hardwoods and grasslands mainly in rural settings. Grassy areas like meadows, pastures, roadsides, yards, rights-of-way, and farmlands attract the gentle bird. The more open grassy areas provide foraging habitat. Nearby trees are used for perching and nesting sites. The largest threat to the bluebirds' future is the continued loss of nesting area.

Landowners are important in the struggle in keeping bluebird populations stable. Keep the snags or dying trees rather than destroying them. They provide cavities for nesting.

Approximately two-thirds of the diet of an adult eastern bluebird is made up of insects and other invertebrates. The remainder of the diet comes from seasonal fruits. Favorite insect foods include crickets, katydids, beetles and grasshoppers. The birds also enjoy spiders, earthworms, millipedes, centipedes, sow bugs and small snails. When insects are scarce, fruits become very important.

During the winter months, eastern bluebirds consume dogwood berries, hawthorn berries,wild grapes, hackberry seeds and sumac. Supplemental fruits include blackberries, honeysuckle and bayberries. Virginia creeper, red cedar and pokeberries are enjoyed. The availability of winter foods often determines whether bluebirds migrate or stay. If they decide to stay in a region, they gather in flocks and seek cover in orchards, and heavy thickets. A brush pile is a delight for bluebirds.

Bluebirds feed by sitting prey from high perches. They swoop down to catch insects on the ground.

The eastern bluebird's winter and summer ranges differ primarily in how far south the bird reaches. Eastern bluebirds nest from southern Saskatchewan, east across southern Canada to Nova Scotia, south to southern Florida, and south from eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains from Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Dakotas south to Texas. Bluebirds winter in the middle parts of eastern North America south into Mexico, the Gulf coast, and southern Florida. Populations have also been found in southeast
Arizona and south into Nicaragua.

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