Bluebird
Bluebirds | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Turdidae |
Genus: | Sialia Swainson, 1827 |
Type species | |
Motacilla sialis Linnaeus, 1758
| |
Species | |
The bluebirds are a group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous Passerine birds. They are in the genus Sialia of the thrush family (Turdidae).
Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. They have blue, or blue and rose beige, plumage. Female birds are less brightly colored than males, although color patterns are similar and there is no noticeable difference in size between the two sexes.
Bluebirds are territorial and prefer open grassland with scattered trees. Predators of young bluebirds in the nests may include snakes, cats, and raccoons. Bird species competing with bluebirds for nesting locations include the common starling, American crow, and house sparrows. House sparrows take over the nesting sites of bluebirds, killing young, smashing eggs, and probably killing adult bluebirds.[1]
Bluebirds species include:
- Eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis
- Western bluebird, Sialia mexicana
- Mountain bluebird, Sialia currucoides
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Gowaty, Patricia Adair (1984). "House sparrows kill eastern bluebirds" (PDF). Journal of Field Ornithology. 55 (3): 378–380. JSTOR 4512922.