If you are outdoors this time of year, you may spot one of our most recognizable birds flitting about. The Eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a small (six to eight inch long) but brightly colored bird whose populations have been pushed northward in Florida, but are increasing in North America overall due to conservation campaigns.
The male bluebird is the showier gender of the species, with its telltale bright blue back and wings, reddish-orange chest, and white underbelly. The female is more modestly attired, with blue-gray atop their bodies and dull blue wings and tail. Females also have an orange chest, though it tends to be lighter in color than males’. Juveniles stick to a no-nonsense brown and white coloration (with just a hint of blue) to avoid attracting undue attention from predators. According to the Audobon Society, their call is “a liquid and musical turee or queedle” and their song is “a soft melodious warble”.
Eastern bluebirds may spend all year in Florida, though some migrate to northern areas as temperatures warm, returning to Florida in the fall. They are insectivores, perching in wait of prey before hopping down to catch a tasty morsel. Areas that are open such as wide lawns with scattered bushes or trees to perch in support this lifestyle. In the wild, they prefer to make their homes in ready-made cavities such as holes in trees or abandoned woodpecker nests; they do not excavate their own cavities. Birdhouses are therefore very attractive to bluebirds, and are an easy way to attract them to a yard. Care should be taken, however, to choose or build a properly constructed bluebird house, as this can help avoid problems with other birds, such as starlings, taking over the bluebirds’ nest once it is built.
For more information on bluebirds, there are plenty of fantastic resources:
The National Audobon Society – https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/eastern-bluebird
The Florida Bluebird Society (with diagrams of bluebird houses) – https://floridabluebirdsociety.org/
The North American Bluebird Society – https://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/
Evan Anderson
Walton County Horticulture Agent
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