Bluebird

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• The bluebird is the state bird of New York as well as Missouri
• In the spring, the males return first.  Females come a week or two later
• Bluebirds can be tamed to come near people.  They will come to a shallow dish with mealworms in it.
• The bluebird almost vanished from New York State but bluebird lovers are responsible for its return by building special nesting boxes for them that English sparrows and starlings won’t use.
• The young birds from the first hatching of bluebirds will help raise the babies in the second hatching.

          The bluebird is a small, colorful bird you may see in your backyard. It has blue wings and a reddish brown breast. It has a long blue tail. It has dark brown legs and feet. The bluebird has a white belly. Its bill is brown, pointed and thin. It has a blue head and big, black eyes. The female has dull blue wings and tail and a gray head. The bluebird is 5 1/2 to 7 inches long. Its wingspread is 11 to 13 inches. The bluebird is a member of the thrush family.  Bluebirds live in the eastern half of the United States and southern Canada. They live in open forests, grasslands, gardens and farms. Their nests are cup shaped. Their nests are made from dried grass, pine needles and plant stems. They may build them in tree holes, in rotted tree stumps or in bluebird boxes. The female bluebird builds their nest. She may have two broods of babies a year She lays 3 to 6 blue eggs. She lays on the eggs 12 to 14 days. The male and the female feed the young for 15 to 20 days until they leave the nest. Bluebirds only live about six years. The enemies of the bluebird are raccoons, hawks, wrens, snakes and mice. Bluebirds migrate south in the winter.

    The bluebird is an interesting bird. It is the state bird of Missouri and New York. The male bluebird returns first in the spring. Females return a week or two later. Bluebirds were almost gone from New York State due to the lack of nesting places. Bird lovers built thousands of bluebird houses and they came back. The babies from the first brood of bluebirds will help raise the babies in the second brood. Bluebirds can sometimes be tamed to come near to people.

by Lucas and Kristen