Blue Bird
· Eastern Blue Bird
· Western Blue Bird
· Mountain Blue Bird
· Blue Bird Habitat
· Blue Bird Food
· Blue Bird Nesting
· Blue Bird Birdhouse
· Blue Bird House

Mountain Blue Bird

The Mountain Blue Bird, Sialia currucoides, is one of three Blue Bird species. The other two Blue Bird species are the Eastern Blue Bird(Sialia sialis) and the Western Blue Bird (Sialia mexicana). All three species are native to the Americas and belong to the genus Sialia in the family Turdidae.

Mountain Blue Bird range

The Mountain Blue Bird inhabits the western parts of Canada, the United States and Mexico. It is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada. To avoid the cold winter, Mountain Blue Birds that live far north usually migrate to southern parts of their range in fall. Mountain Blue Birds that live on high elevations can choose to seek out lower elevations during the winter, since the climate tends to be less harsh at lower altitudes. 

Mountain Blue Bird description

The male Mountain Blue Bird has a bright blue coloration, hence the name Blue Bird. The color is normally a bit lighter underneath than on the top. Adult females are also blue, but their colors are more drab and camouflaging. Their breast, throat, back and crow are all grey.

Mountain Blue Bird feeding

The Mountain Blue Bird feeds chiefly on insects and berries. It can hover over the ground to catch prey, or wait on a perch until it notices and insect and sweeps down to catch it. During the winter, you can sometimes see Mountain Blue Birds foraging in flocks.

Mountain Blue Bird breeding

The typical breeding habitat for the Mountain Blue Bird consists of open country and mountain areas in western North America. They breed as far north as Alaska, and can survive at high elevations. Blue Bird species that live close to humans often have to compete for suitable nesting locations with introduced species, such as the House Sparrow. Since the Mountain Blue Bird often live in remote regions with few human dwellings, the population has been less affected by competition from invasive species.

Mountain Blue Bird conservation

The Mountain Blue Bird is listed as Lower risk (least concern) in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species places threatened and extinct species into six different groups.

• Extinct (EX)
• Extinct in the wild (EW)
• Critically endangered (CR)
• Endangered (EN)
• Vulnerable (VU)
• Lower risk (LR)

According to the IUCN, there are currently around 5,200,000 Mountain Blue Birds living in the Americas.