Eastern Bluebird
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| Eastern Bluebird | ||||||||||||||
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| Sialia sialis (Linnaeus,, 1758) |
The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a medium-sized thrush.
Adults have a white belly. Adult males are bright blue on top and have a red throat and breast. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, a brownish throat and breast and a grey crown and back. Eastern Bluebirds are found in the Eastern US as the name implies.
The population of the Eastern Bluebird in the US declined seriously in the US and became critical in the middle of the 1900s. The decline was due to:
- Habitat destruction (loss of fields and nesting cavities in split-rail fences)
- Pesticide use
- Nest predation by House Sparrows
The species was saved through a network of birding enthusiasts who erected nest boxes for Bluebirds and kept House Sparrows from nesting in them.