Mountain Bluebird Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Small thrush, about 18 cm (7 in).
• Male: brilliant sky-blue overall, brighter and more turquoise on the wings and tail, paler blue on the throat and breast fading to a whitish belly — with no rusty or orange breast patch, the key mark separating it from other North American bluebirds.
• Female: gray-brown overall with a pale blue wash on the wings, tail, and rump; a whitish eye-ring is often visible, and the breast may show a faint buffy tone but never a distinct orange patch.

Separating It From Similar Species

Western Bluebird

• Male shows a rusty-orange breast and back patch contrasting with the blue head, wings, and tail; female is duller but usually shows at least a hint of orange on the breast — both differ from the "all-blue" male and plain gray female Mountain Bluebird.

Eastern Bluebird

• Has a rusty-orange throat and breast with a white belly, and occupies mostly non-overlapping range in the east; readily separated by the orange throat alone.

Behavior & Voice

• Frequently hovers in place while hunting insects over open ground, a kestrel-like behavior more pronounced in this species than in other bluebirds.
• Perches conspicuously on fence posts, wires, and low shrubs in open habitat while foraging.
• Forms loose flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes gathering in open fields and grasslands in winter.
• Voice is a soft, low warbling song and a simple "chur" call, both quieter than many other thrushes.

Habitat, Range & Season

• Breeds in open country at higher elevations across western North America — mountain meadows, sagebrush steppe, high grasslands, and burned or logged forest openings — from Alaska and Yukon south through the Rockies and Great Basin to New Mexico and Arizona.
• A secondary cavity nester, using natural cavities, old woodpecker holes, and nest boxes.
• Winters in open lowland habitat, grassland, and farmland across the southwestern United States and Mexico, often in flocks.