Volume 6, Number 2 Spring 1984 8ialia Pages 41·80 Sia/ia means bluebirds. Hence the title of this journal. Technically, stette is the NORTH AMERICAN Latinized, neuter plural version of the Greek BLUEBIRD SOCIETY word sia/is, a noun meaning a "kind of bird." Since the Eastern Bluebird was the first bluebird classified by Carolus l.ln­ naeus (1707-1778), he gave it the species name sialis, though he placed it in the Founder genus Motacilia which is now reserved for Lawrence Zeleny the wagtails. It was William Swainson President (1789·1855), who, in 1827, decided that the Lillian Lund Flies bluebirds needed a genus of their own with· in the thrush family (Turdidae). He selected Vice President the generic name Sialia which he simply Thomas M. Talt adapted from the species name sia/is which Treasurer Linnaeus had used. Therefore, the scien­ Del os C. Dupree tific name for the Eastern Bluebird is Sialia sia/is (pronounced see-ahl-ee-ah see'·ahl· Recording Secretary Iss). Similarly, the Western Bluebird and Mark Raabe Mountain Bluebird, the two other species Corresponding Secretary within the genus, were named stette mex ­ Joseph G. Tall icana and Sialia currucoides (coo-roo-coy­ Directors dees) respect ively . Their specie s name s are Art Ayl eswort h descriptive of their locations. All three blue­ Montana bird species are native only to the North Martha Chestem American continent, although each in­ Maryland habits different regions generally sep­ Richard J. Dol esh Maryla nd arated by the Rocky Mountains and by alti­ Sed Ie Dorber tudinal preferences. Naw York While the adult birds all show ditter­ Gay T. Duncan North Carolin a ing plumages, the young of all three Rog er & Dottle Foy species look remarkably alike, prominently North Carolina displaying spotted breasts and large white Jo an Glascock eye rings. This similarity in plumage was Oregon the principal reason the Society chose the Theodore W. Gutzka North Dakota juvenal bluebird for its logo. Since bl ue­ L. Edward Haws birds almost always choose to raise their South Carolina young in small enclosed cavities, a young Charlotte Jernigan bluebird sitting near a nesting box seemed Oklahoma to symbolize our mi ssion. The hope of any Reber B. Layton Mississippi spec ies resides in its young . Because of Donald Stiles bluebird nest ing preferences, the survival of Albert. their young may depend on the nesting bOX, Executive Dire ct or especially since natural cavities, for a va­ Mary D. Janetatos riety of reasons, are disappearing rapid ly. The theme of bluebird young nurtured in Editor man -made structures will be a recurring one Joanne K. Solam in our art and literature. We hope that this theme will remind all about the plight of the blueb ird, and wil l st imulate action which will allow this beautiful creature to prosper. Sialia is published quarterly by the North American Bluebird Society, Box 6295, Silver Spring, MD 20906·0295. Subscription price is included in annual membership dues. Single copies: $2.50. Write for information about bulk quantities. Checks and money orders should be made payable to North American Bluebird Society and should be in United States funds. Issues are dated Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn and appear approximately on t he fi ft eenth of January, April, July and October respectively. Deadl ine fo r subm ission of material is three months prior to date of publication; dated it ems only, tw o months. 8ialia The Quarterly ,Journal About Bluebirds Vol ume 6, Number 2 Spr ing 1984 Pages 41-80 EDITOR J oanne K.Sol em CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Lawre nce Zeleny ART EDITOR Ric hard L. Woodward Ree ntorcrno Nest Boxes with Ga lvan ized W ire Cab le ' ". .48 RObert R Cot-en Prothonotary Warblers Accept COVER Blueb ird Box . .. 50 A Proth onotary Wa rbler near a Jo M F ind lay III ne s ung c av: ty Is Art Ed Ito r 1983 Nestlitg Box Repo rt .. .. .. .51 Rich ard L. WOodwa rd 's subject. Delos C Dupree This species is featu red in two Prothonotary Wa rble rs Use short articl es In t his Issue. Bird Boxes . .. .. 54 Law rence H Wa lkI nsha w Why and When Should Staffa welcomes original articles, ar t Blueb ird Boxes Be Mon it ored? . .. 55 and photographs for publication. Lawrenee Zeleny A lt hough trus journal IS named for Mounta in Bluebird s In the bluebird, rnatenal relating to all Saskatchewan . .. .. 57 nat ive cavity nesting sp ec ies wil l be M ary I Hous ton conside red Man usc rip ts should be Blu ebirds and the Sages of typed neatly and double-space d. Al l Concord 60 ma te rial submitted is subjec t to lil!lan Lund r iles edit in g or rewriting. Subm i t th e Plantings for Bluebi rds and ori ginal manusc ript plus a du plicate Other Wi ld life: Sassafras 62 copy if you wi sh to proof the material Ka ren Black burn befo re publicat ion. If the art ic le has Que st ion Corner . ... .' " . 64 been s u bm it ted elsewhere (o r Of Bluebirds and Snakes . .. ... .65 previous ly pub lis hed) that fact must Dtrk de waaro be sta ted at the time of subrrussi on. Eas tern Bluebirds Nest In Boot . .. ,68 A ll manuscripts w ill be acknowl­ Improved Design for Experi mental edged . Black and whi te glossy photo­ Nesting Box 70 graphs are preferred. Print th e sub­ Ira L Ca mpbell jec t, names of individuals pictured, 1:17 , . .... .. .. 71 phot ograp her and return address on Ja ck a nd Ma rykaye W e inm ann the back of each photogr aph . Art IS My Bluebird Story 73 we lco me and shou ld be in black pen­ FrederIck W Comstock and-in k. We do not assume resp on­ On the Trai l , 75 sibilit y for manuscripts, photographs Bl uebird Express .. , , 76 or ar t subm it ted. The editor's address Bluebird Tales . _ 78 IS 10617 Graeloch Road , Laur el, Mary ­ Poetry . .. .. ... .. .. ... 80 land 20707. Presidential Points Lillian Lund F i les s NABS enters its sixth yea r of in­ Avolvement in blu ebird co nse rva­ tion, th e Societ y's hor izons are ex­ pand ing . Peopl e recognize us as a so urce of info rmation on blueb ird s and other cavity nest in g bird s. NABS at this poin t has sent out one-half million packet s of bluebird inf orm ati on. NAB S sta rted out to be a clea ring ho use fo r bluebi rd ac tiv it ies . One thing Gutzke has asse mbled , a bookl et to being don e is to searc h out ways to help members collect trail dat a, and a cope wi th nest ing compet itors. We pamphlet for begin ners descr ib in g how receive inq uiries fr om many di ffe rent to set up a bluebird trail. Since NAB S is groups : colleqe stude nts in grad uat e a non-prof it organ iza tion and most of pro grams, Camp Fir e girls r.nd boys, th e wo rk is do ne by volun teers, your Scou ts , 4-H, garden cl ubs, and other ta x-ded ucti ble don ation s are spent bird societ ies. The Department of almost ent irely for research and educa ­ Natural Resources in ma ny st ates is tiona l pu rposes. You can help NABS utilizing mon ey from non-qarne wildlife help the bluebirds by continui ng your fu nds on beha lf of bluebirds and ot her mem bership, gett ing others to join, cav ity nesting birds. Check in your wr iting art icles fo r local newspapers state to see if such a fund exi sts and and/or let ters to the editor , se nding in try to chann el so me of these funds names and addresses of your friends , toward blu ebirds. Wh ile these non­ and by ma il ing a tax-dedu ct ible con­ gam e wi ld life funds are for all non­ tr ibution to day. You are rew arded by gam e species, NABS has established a knowing that you have help ed the workable progr am and th is is bein g blu eb ird s. so ught by state wi ld life officia ls. It is a W atch fo r a new blu ebird treat : An­ natural becau se it gets peopl e invo lved dre Dion 's book Le Retour de i 'Oiseeu and it works! Bleu (The Return of the Blu ebird). This Since NA BS' begi nning in March beau tifully illustrat ed st ory has now 1978, it has sponsored th e printing and been tr ansl at ed into Engli sh. di stributi on of nest ing bo x plans, a full I wi sh to announce th e foll ow ing c o lo r infor mat io nal brochure, th e app ointment s: Reid Caldwe ll o f Lucas, qu arterly journal Sia lia and a 144-slide Ohi o, a natu ral ist with th e Ohi o Divi­ lecture progr am. The Soci ety has pro­ sio n of Wildlife, as co-c hai rman of th e vide d qu ality nesting boxes at the Edu c at i on Co mm ittee along wi t h lowes t possi ble price as well as other Bryan R.