EC 1571 • April 2005 $1.00 Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana by L. Schumacher and S. Sells

an you imagine eating bugs and berries and living inside a tree? Why bluebirds CWestern bluebirds do just that! They are members of the thrush family, need our help meaning that they are related to robins. Populations of western bluebirds There are three species, or kinds, of have declined over the past 50 years. bluebirds in the United States: the East- The main reason for their decline is ern bluebird, the Western bluebird, and competition for nest holes from the mountain bluebird. Both Western and European starlings and English house mountain bluebirds live in Oregon. sparrows. Starlings and house spar- Bluebirds eat mostly insects. Grass- rows are exotic species, meaning they hoppers, earthworms, snails, and beetles came from somewhere else and donʼt are among their favorite foods. They sit occur naturally in North America. These on perches and drop quickly to the ground birds were brought here (introduced) to catch food or they can catch insects in and have multiplied quickly. They out- the air. Bluebirds also eat fruit and ber- compete many of our native birds for ries, especially during the winter when nesting habitat. there are fewer insects. Another reason for bluebird decline is loss of habitat due to the cutting of dead trees and suppression of fi re. Fires are important for maintaining oak wood- lands with open meadows. Without fi re, dense forests of fi r trees can take over. Raccoons and house cats may be part of the cause of bluebird decline because they prey on bluebirds. Bluebirds also suffer when insects are poisoned with chemicals such as some pesticides. If a bluebird eats these insects it can get sick

Photo: Bruce Johnson or die. Bluebirds love to eat many kinds of bugs.

Laura Schumacher and Sarah Sells, students in Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University. Species description Bluebirds are very beautiful. grasses, and twigs. They Adults are about 6 inches long. sometimes line the Males are very bright purplish-blue nest with soft materi- with a rust-colored chest and gray als such as hair and belly. Females are similar but not as feathers, just as we line our beds bright, with more gray than blue on with soft sheets and blankets. their head and a lighter chest. A female bluebird lays four to six The behavior of a male bluebird pale blue to white eggs. She incu- trying to attract a female can be fun bates (sits on) the eggs and keeps to watch. First he might sing to the them warm while the young develop female. He fl ies near her, partially inside the eggs for about 2 weeks. opens his wings, and spreads his tail Newborn chicks are naked and feathers while fl apping his wings. completely helpless, so their parents Then he lands beside her. He might must provide everything they need. give her food or preen her feathers. Bluebird parents feed their chicks If she decides he will make a good insects. mate, they begin nesting. The parents sometimes have help Bluebirds nest inside tree cavi- from older chicks who help feed the ties or holes made by woodpeckers. new chicks. Bluebird chicks learn to The male and female work together fl y and leave the nest when they are to make a cup-shaped nest of stems, between 15 to 18 days old.

Where they live and why Bluebirds are found throughout Oregon woodlands, except the north coast, Cascade Moun- and stream- tains, and southeast Oregon. They live in side wood- open areas scattered with trees. They are lands. They secondary cavity nesters, which means also are they nest in tree cavities (holes) made found in by other species such as woodpeckers. clearcuts Woodpecker holes in old or dead trees with stand- provide homes to many species, such as ing snags bluebirds, whose beaks are too soft to (dead trees) make their own cavities. and in other Bluebirds like a mixture of trees and areas with open areas such as fi elds, orchards, nesting meadows within oak and ponderosa pine cavities. Nest boxes provide habitat Photo: Noah Strycker when natural tree cavities 2 are not available. Creating habitat Bluebirds need places to nest. Old trees often have many wood- pecker holes that they can use. Donʼt remove all of the dead trees in your area. They are important for wildlife. Nest boxes have helped increase popu- lations of bluebirds in many areas. Blue- birds will nest in boxes if they are well Photo: Emily Smith made and are placed in a good location. Bluebirds will appreciate a birdbath. You can build a nest box (see below) or winter when insects are hard to fi nd. Ser- buy one at most wild bird stores. (Ask for viceberry, elderberry, dogwood, juniper, help in selecting the best type.) redcedar, bayberry, cherry, and sumac Building bluebird trails is popular have berries that bluebirds like. Many throughout the country. You might like other bird species like them too. to build one too! A bluebird trail is a Bluebirds need places to perch while series of bluebird nest boxes along a path they look for insects. Tree limbs and planted with berry plants. The path should brush piles near open areas make great be near an open area where bluebirds can perches. Artifi cial snags or perches can forage for insects. The boxes need to be provide more options for the bluebirds. at least 100 yards apart because bluebirds Finally, donʼt forget a birdbath. Blue- donʼt like to nest beside other bluebirds. birds like shallow birdbaths lined with fl at Small shrubs and trees with berries rocks. Place the bath in an open area with are important for bluebirds, especially in a perch nearby so the bluebirds feel safe.

Building a bluebird nest box

A great way to help bluebirds is to build area beneath an eave are good locations. a nest box! Use exterior plywood or natu- Donʼt put nests too close to people, who ral materials such as rough cedar. Thicker can disturb nesting bluebirds. Install your wood insulates the nest better. Never use box by February before bluebirds begin to wood that has been treated with chemicals. look for nest sites. Bluebirds might nest up Make a box with a 5 by 5-inch bottom to three times in one year, so donʼt remove and 8-inch walls. Put the entry hole the box after one brood. 6 inches above the fl oor. Make the entry Contact your local offi ce of the OSU 1 hole a 1 ⁄2-inch smooth circle to keep out Extension Service or the bigger birds. A slanted roof should over- North American Bluebird hang 1 inch or more to keep rain and sun Society (http://www. out of the entry. Drill small ventilation nabluebirdsociety.org/) for holes near the top on each side. instructions on building a nest Place nest boxes 5 to 10 feet above box and caring for the box ground in open areas. Fence posts or the and birds that live there.

3 Fun facts

A pair of bluebirds can have three broods (groups of young) in one year. Bluebird nest box trails were fi rst built in the 1970s. Photo: Julie LaFollette Bluebirds fi nd nest boxes to be a great Famous author and naturalist place to build a nest. Henry David Thoreau referred to the bluebird as “the bird with the sky on his back.”

Learn more! Birdzilla.com (http://www.birdzilla.com/ North American Bluebird Society sub.asp?strType=BACKYARDBluebird (http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/ Society&strTitle=Bluebird+Society). or P.O. Box 74 Darlington, Wisconsin The Bluebird Box (http://www.audubon- 53530). omaha.org/bbbox/). Zickefoose, Julie. 1993. Enjoying Blue- Cedar Works (http://www.cedar-works. birds More. Bird Watcherʼs Digest com/newsite/bird_info5.html). Press, Naturescaping, ODFW, 2001. Link, Russell. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacifi c Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle.

Additional wildlife publications in this series are available on the OSU Extension Service website at Oregon http://extension.oregonstate.edu 4-H (choose “Publications”). Wildlife Stewards

© 2005 Oregon State University.

This publication was produced and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties. Oregon State Univer- sity Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials—without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, or disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran status. Oregon State University Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Published April 2005.