(Rewrote copied text. Referenced.) |
(Female & Juvenile pictures added. Taxonomy. Video link. Deleted text re-written and replaced. References) |
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| + | [[Image:Eastern_Bluebird.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|GaryT|GaryT}}<br />Wellsboro, [[Pennsylvania]], May 2006]] | ||
;[[:Category:Sialia|Sialia]] sialis | ;[[:Category:Sialia|Sialia]] sialis | ||
| − | |||
==Identification== | ==Identification== | ||
| − | Length 18cm (7 in), Wingspan 33cm (13 in) | + | Length 18cm (7 in), Wingspan 33cm (13 in)<br /> |
| − | + | '''Male''': Blue back, orange thoat, sides of neck, and chest, white belly. Black eyes and legs<br /> | |
| + | '''Female''': Similar, but drabber, with rusty color in place of orange, and gray on the nape<br /> | ||
| + | '''Juvenile''': has speckled breast. | ||
====Similar Species==== | ====Similar Species==== | ||
| − | Similar to [[Western Bluebird]] but throat rusty, not blue. Belly and undertail whiter, not as | + | Similar to [[Western Bluebird]] but throat rusty, not blue. Belly and undertail whiter, not as gray. |
| − | |||
==Distribution== | ==Distribution== | ||
| − | Eastern Bluebirds are found east of the Rockies, southern [[Canada]] to the Gulf States and | + | [[Image:609-10892fg Eastern Bluebird-1.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />[[Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[USA]], July 2009]] |
| − | + | Eastern Bluebirds are found east of the Rockies, southern [[Canada]] to the Gulf States and south-eastern [[Arizona]] and winters south to [[Nicaragua]]. | |
==Taxonomy== | ==Taxonomy== | ||
| − | + | ====Subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>==== | |
| − | + | This is a [[Dictionary_M-S#M|polytypic]] species, consisting of six subspecies in two groups:<br /> | |
| + | '''Eastern Group''' | ||
| + | *''S. s. sialis'': | ||
| + | :*South-central and eastern [[Canada]] to south-eastern [[US]]; winters to northern [[Mexico]] and [[Cuba]] | ||
| + | *''S. s. grata'': | ||
| + | :*Southern peninsula [[Florida]] | ||
| + | *''S. s. episcopus'': | ||
| + | :*Southern coastal [[Texas]] (Rockport) to eastern [[Mexico]] (southern Tamaulipas)<br /> | ||
| + | [[Image:DSC06904psprBF.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile<br />Photo by {{user|Josef|Josef}}<br />Rapid City, [[South Dakota]], August 2009]] | ||
| + | '''Mexican Group''' | ||
| + | *''S. s. fulva'': | ||
| + | :*Mountains of south-central [[Arizona]] to southern [[Mexico]] (Guerrero); winters to [[Guatemala]] | ||
| + | *''S. s. guatemalae'': | ||
| + | :*Mountains of south-eastern [[Mexico]] (southern Tamaulipas to Chiapas) and [[Guatemala]] | ||
| + | *''S. s. meridionalis'': | ||
| + | :*Mountains of [[El Salvador]] to north-eastern [[Nicaragua]] | ||
==Habitat== | ==Habitat== | ||
Found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards. | Found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards. | ||
==Behaviour== | ==Behaviour== | ||
| + | The bright blue breeding plumage of the male, makes it easy to see when perched on a wire or open perch, prior to fluttering down to the ground to feed. | ||
| + | ====Diet==== | ||
The diet includes insects such as grasshoppers, crickets or beetles. | The diet includes insects such as grasshoppers, crickets or beetles. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| − | Wikipedia | + | #{{Ref-Clements6thDec09}}#Wikipedia |
| + | {{ref}} | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
{{GSearch|Sialia+sialis}} | {{GSearch|Sialia+sialis}} | ||
| + | <br /> | ||
| + | {{Video|Eastern Bluebird}} | ||
| + | |||
[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Sialia]] | [[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Sialia]] | ||
Revision as of 16:59, 15 April 2010
- Sialia sialis
Identification
Length 18cm (7 in), Wingspan 33cm (13 in)
Male: Blue back, orange thoat, sides of neck, and chest, white belly. Black eyes and legs
Female: Similar, but drabber, with rusty color in place of orange, and gray on the nape
Juvenile: has speckled breast.
Similar Species
Similar to Western Bluebird but throat rusty, not blue. Belly and undertail whiter, not as gray.
Distribution
Eastern Bluebirds are found east of the Rockies, southern Canada to the Gulf States and south-eastern Arizona and winters south to Nicaragua.
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
This is a polytypic species, consisting of six subspecies in two groups:
Eastern Group
- S. s. sialis:
- S. s. grata:
- Southern peninsula Florida
- S. s. episcopus:
Mexican Group
- S. s. fulva:
- S. s. guatemalae:
- S. s. meridionalis:
- Mountains of El Salvador to north-eastern Nicaragua
Habitat
Found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards.
Behaviour
The bright blue breeding plumage of the male, makes it easy to see when perched on a wire or open perch, prior to fluttering down to the ground to feed.
Diet
The diet includes insects such as grasshoppers, crickets or beetles.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Eastern Bluebird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eastern_Bluebird
External Links
