Western Bluebird

Adult males (shown) have a deep cobalt blue head, wings, and tail with a rusty red breast and upper back. Females are paler and grayer with a subtle blue tint in wings and tail. Immatures are spotted with buffy-white.

Male: Blue throat and head, rusty chest and upper back, white belly. Female: Grayish-brown with blue highlights in wings/tail.

Length: 6-7 inches (15-18 cm); Wingspan: 11-13 inches (29-34 cm); Weight: 0.8-1.1 oz (24-31 g)

Call is a short, soft 'phew' or 'chuck'. The song is a series of low, chirping whistles: 'che-check, che-check'.

Mainly insects (grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles) in summer; switches to berries and small fruits (mistletoe, juniper) during winter.

Open woodlands, coniferous forests, farm edges, and oak savannas. They prefer edges where trees meet open fields.

Partial migrant. Northern populations move south or to lower elevations in winter; southern populations are year-round residents.

Secondary cavity nesters (using old woodpecker holes or nest boxes). They lay 2-8 pale blue eggs. Both parents feed the young, and sometimes offspring from previous broods help.

Eastern Bluebird (has a reddish throat; Western has a blue throat) and Mountain Bluebird (lacks the rusty red breast).

Aids in insect population control and serves as a seed disperser for various berry-producing plants. They are also indicators of healthy open woodland ecosystems.

Least Concern (IUCN); population is generally stable, though threatened by habitat loss and competition for nesting cavities.

Look for them in open woodlands, orchards, and parks. They are frequently found near nest boxes or sitting on low perches like fence wires.

Western Bluebirds are highly social; in winter, they forage in large flocks and sometimes 'huddle' together in cavities to stay warm during cold nights.