"The bluebird is well named, for he wears a coat of the purest, richest, and most gorgeous blue on back, wings, and tail; no North American bird better deserves the name, for no other flashes before our admiring eyes so much brilliant blue. It has been said that he carries on his back the blue of heaven and the rich brown of the freshly turned earth on his breast; but who has ever seen the bluest sky as blue as the bluebird's back?" (Quote from the Arthur Cleveland Bent series on the Birds of North America.)

Male eastern bluebird. Photo by Bill Horn

The eastern bluebird is a year-round resident of Alabama. The Alabama population of eastern bluebirds increases during the winter as birds that summer further north move into the state for the winter. The bluebird has a pleasant, musical song and a similar easy-to-identify flight call.

In The Backyard:
Bluebirds can be attracted to peanut butter mixes and fruit. Their special favorite is mealworms.

Nesting:
In southern states nesting can commence as early as March and continue well into the summer. Two and sometimes three broods are not uncommon.

Here's a colorful quote on bluebird courtship, also from the Bent series.

The lovemaking of the bluebird is as beautiful as the bird itself, and normally as gentle, unless interrupted by some jealous rival who would steal his bride; then gentleness gives place to active combat. The male usually arrives a few days ahead of the female, selects what he considers to be a suitable summer home, and carols his sweetest, most seductive notes day after day until she appears in answer to his call. Then he flutters before her, displaying the charms of his widespread tail and half-opened wings, warbling in delicious, soft undertones, to win her favor. At first she seems indifferent to the gorgeous blue of his overcoat or the warm reddish brown of his ardent breast. He perches beside her, caresses her in the tenderest and most loving fashion, and sings to her in most endearing terms. Perhaps he may bring to her some delicious morsel and place it gently in her mouth, as an offering. Probably he has already chosen the cavity or box that he thinks will suit her; lie leads her to it, looks in, and tries to persuade her to accept it, but much persistent wooing is needed before the nuptial pact is sealed. In the meantime a rival male may appear upon the scene and a rough and tumble fight ensue, the males clinching in the air and falling to the ground together, a confusing mass of blue and brown feathers struggling in the grass; but no very serious harm seems to have been done, as they separate and use their most persuasive charms to attract the object of their rivalry. At times, a second female may join in the contest and start a lively fight with her rival for the mate she wants. John Burroughs (1894) gives an interesting account of such a four-cornered contest, too long to be quoted here, in which the female of an apparently mated pair seemed to waver in her affections between her supposed mate and the new rival; and the latter seemed to have left the female of his first choice to win the bride of the other. However, after a much prolonged contest, the matter seemed to be satisfactorily settled, for two pairs of bluebirds finally flew off in different directions and started up housekeeping without further trouble.

Status:
Bluebird populations were severely effected by nesting competition from starlings and house sparrows. Efforts by the North American Bluebird Society and many other groups and individuals to provide bluebird nesting boxes has greatly improved the plight of these beautiful birds.

Visit the main Birdzilla.com Web site for additional information on this popular species. The Sam's Guide to Bluebirds CD-ROM and DVD provides complete information on bluebird trails, boxes, care and feeding and a whole lot more.

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