ProAuthors Article Directory

“Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.” That famous lyric from the “Wizard of Oz” helped immortalize the beautiful bluebird. Since early colonial times, people have loved bluebirds because of their beauty, their feeding in open areas around houses and farms, and their endearing habit of readily nesting in man-made boxes.

In the U.S. there are three different types of bluebirds. The eastern bluebird that can be found east of the Rockies is by far the most numerous. Across the Western one-third of the United States you will find mountain bluebirds and western bluebirds (go figure). One important thing to remember when providing housing for bluebirds – you need to provide larger floor space and entrance holes in diameter for western and mountain bluebirds. A 4″ by 4″ floor is adequate for eastern bluebirds, but a 5″ by 5″ floor is recommended for mountain and western bluebirds. The entrance hole should be 1 ½” in diameter for eastern bluebirds, and 1 9/16″ for mountain and western bluebirds.

Attracting Bluebirds:

All bluebirds are cavity nesters. Once common in rural and suburban areas, bluebird populations declined by as much as 90% from 1920 – 1970. The decline was due to two things, 1) the loss of nesting habitats, such as tree holes, rotted out fence posts and old orchards; and 2) the introduction of the starling and house sparrow in the last half of the 1800′s. These two species, introduced from Europe, competed heavily with the bluebird for existing nesting cavities. Some utilize a sparrow trap which is thought to be critical to bluebird breeding success.

Now you too can make a contribution to conserving this beautiful bird by putting up bluebird houses in appropriate habitats. The key to attracting bluebirds to nest in your yard is to have plenty of potential nesting locations, food and water. Bluebirds do prefer more “open area” so if your yard is heavily wooded you’ll enjoy many other nesting birds, but probably not bluebirds.

The female will lay four to five light blue eggs that will take thirteen to fifteen days to hatch. The male brings food to his mate and the young during the critical first few days of feeding. They act link tiny hawks, waiting patiently for an insect or beetle to show itself. It then pounces on it and brings the food back to the nest. Providing a T-shaped perching cross ten to twenty yards in front of the nest box can sometimes help attract bluebirds.

Food:

A bluebird’s primary diet is insects and fruit. Planting native plants like American bittersweet is a great way to attract and help bluebirds is by feeding mealworms. At 50.4% protein, they are an excellent nutrition source.  You can start feeding mealworms in a cup or pan, but because many birds like them and will eat you out of house and home, most people graduate to a bluebird feeder. In a bluebird feeder, the bird has to go through an entrance hole to fine the worms and few birds besides the bluebird will do so. You might spend weeks trying different presentations of worms before bluebirds learn to dine regularly, but the results are worth it, as bluebirds are delightfully trainable – even to the point of responding to whistles and other calls when your bird feeder is refilled. You may want to consider keeping the mealworms alive and wiggling with a mealworm warmer. It is like a crock pot for mealworms! Bluebirds have also been trained to eat sunflower kernels from BirdQuest Spiral Feeders found at many different online retail operations.

Water:

Of course, to attract any type of bird, including the beloved bluebird you will need to have a fresh source of water. It is a known fact that moving water attracts more birds, including bluebirds to one’s backyard. You should consider inserting a Water Wiggler into your bird baths.

Houses:

A bluebird’s favorite nesting box is the Songbird Cedar Ultimate Nest Box. This box has:

-  Brass hinged doors on both sides with Plexiglas on one side to monitor the nest without the danger of chicks falling out.

-  Predator protector of solid copper to eliminate squirrels and woodpeckers from enlarging the entrance hole.

- Elevated mesh floor to help protect the young chicks from Blowflies.

- Zinc Chromate plated screws that provide a more sturdy, longer lasting house than one assembled with nails. The screws will not “bleed” leaving unattractive stains below.

- It is made of long lasting cedar.

- Other bluebird houses we recommend can be found at YourBirdOasis.

When shopping for a bluebird house you may want to consider a metal bluebird portal protector which is a circular piece of metal that is screwed over the entrance hole of the bluebird house. This both repairs squirrel and woodpecker damage as well protects it from future damage.

Bluebirds are “Family role Models:”

Bluebird young will fledge in fifteen to twenty days. Even though the parents will keep feeding them, the fledglings can find their own food in about two weeks.

Some of the newly independent youngsters from the first brood are often seen bringing food to their new siblings. They teach us much about the “bond of love of family.” This often continues into the fall and at times they stay together until the following spring. This is a great example to we humans of how we should support family members.

So what are you waiting for!? Get your bluebird houses up, mealworms and water out, and sit back and watch for “brilliant blue to appear.” Good luck!