Eastern Blue Bird |
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Description
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7". Bright blue above and on wings and tail; rusty throat and breast; white belly and undertail coverts. Female similar but duller. |
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Voice
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Call a liquid and musical
turee or queedle; song a soft melodious warble.
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Habitat
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Open woodlands and farmlands
with scattered trees.
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Nesting
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4-6 pale blue eggs in a loose cup of grasses and plant
stems in natural tree cavities, old woodpecker holes, fence posts, and
bird boxes.
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Other
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This beautiful bird is
a favorite of many people and is eagerly awaited in the spring after a
long cold winter. In places where bluebird nest boxes are erected and
European Starlings and House Sparrows are controlled, up to six pairs
of bluebirds will nest on as many acres. In the past 25 years bluebirds
have become uncommon in the East for reasons not altogether clear. Competition
for nest sites with European Starlings and House Sparrows is likely a
critical factor. The erection of many artificial nest boxes in recent
years seems to be helping to increase the population.
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