Mountain Bluebird Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Mountain Bluebirds are fairly small thrushes with round heads and straight, thin bills. Compared with other bluebirds they are lanky and long-winged, with a long tail.

  Relative Size

  Slightly larger than a Cassin’s Finch, considerably smaller than an American Robin.

  between sparrow and robin

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 6.3-7.9 in (16-20 cm)
    • Weight: 1.1 oz (30 g)
    • Wingspan: 11.0-14.2 in (28-36 cm)

  © Joshua Covill / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Male Mountain Bluebirds are sky-blue, a bit darker on wings and tail and a bit paler below, with white under the tail. Females are mostly gray-brown with tinges of pale blue in the wings and tail. They occasionally show a suffusion of orange-brown on the chest. Mountain Bluebirds’ bills are entirely black. Juveniles have fewer spots than the young of other bluebirds and lack spotting on the back.

• Behavior

  Unlike other bluebird species, Mountain Bluebirds often hover while foraging; they also pounce on their insect prey from an elevated perch. In winter, the species often occurs in large flocks wandering the landscape feasting on berries, particularly those of junipers.
• Habitat

  Mountain Bluebirds are common in the West’s wide-open spaces, particularly at middle and higher elevations. They breed in native habitats such as prairie, sagebrush steppe, and even alpine tundra; anywhere with open country with at least a few trees that can provide nest cavities. They also readily take to human-altered habitats, often nesting in bluebird boxes and foraging in pastures.