State Bird of Nevada - Mountain Bluebird

Mountain bluebird, scientific name Sialia currucoides, was declared as the state bird of Nevada in 1967. Prior to this, in 1931, the state's legislature of Idaho designated Mountain bluebird as its state bird. In French, this amazing Mountain bluebird is known by the name Merlebleu azuré, whereas it is called Azulejo pálido in Spanish. It inhabits western North America. The Mountain bluebird is a medium-sized songbird, having a small thrush. The size may range between 16-20 cm and usually weighs about an ounce (30 gm). Here is a brief information about the Mountain bluebird.

Mountain bluebird: Description

Mountain bluebird has a large and round head with black eyes and a small, black bill. The body is short and thick (chunky) and possesses black legs and a medium-length tail. Identification of Mountain bluebird is easy because of its magnificent sky blue color. The male is entirely sky blue color; whereas, the female possesses eye rings and a grey body with blue color wings and tail. In both the sexes, the color is comparatively lighter in the underbellies. The juvenile Mountain bird is a miniature copy of the adult, except that it is paler in color and has white eye rings.

Mountain bluebird: Habitat and Habit

The Mountain bluebird prefers open habitats such as agricultural fields and grasslands. It is also found in prairie-forest areas, where there is abundance of trees, shrubs and short grasses. It is migratory and often migrates in search of food and habitat. At times, it breeds in meadows of high mountains and colder habitats.

Mountain bluebird feeds by wandering and searching for food (foraging). It usually hovers above the ground and catches its prey by swooping down on the ground. Its food includes insects and fruits, preferably berries. In cold winter seasons, they flock together with sparrows and Western bluebirds in search of food.

Mountain bluebird: Breeding

In the breeding season, it is the male Mountain bluebird that searches for breeding sites. It selects tree cavities or rock crevices, as their nesting site. The male then tries to attract the female by flying in and out of the nesting site. After the mating is over, the female builds a nest by accumulating nest materials like plant fibers, dry grasses and soft barks. The female only builds the nest, whereas the male guards the nest and the female.

The female Mountain bluebird lays about four to seven white eggs. It is usually observed that it lays one egg per day. The eggs, then hatch into chicks, after an incubation period of about 13 days. The male takes care of the female and the chicks and collects food for them. Within 22-24 days, the chicks develop feathers. However, they usually stay with the parents for two months. It is quite common that a pair have a second brood in the same breeding season.

It is due to implementation of building nest boxes in the 1920s that the population of Mountain bluebird has increased tremendously. Since then breeding usually occurs in bird boxes, hence there is little information about the natural breeding requirements. The Mountain bluebird is somewhat similar to the Western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) and Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis), except that the latter two are deep blue with red color chests. These bluebird species are so beautiful that it is worth watching them.