The eastern bluebird is a small North American migratory thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands, and orchards.
Region
Eastern North America
Typical Environment
Found from southern Canada through the eastern and central United States into parts of Mexico and Central America, the eastern bluebird favors open country with scattered trees. It thrives in pastures, orchards, parklands, and edges of woodlands where natural or artificial cavities are available. It avoids dense forests and treeless urban cores but adapts well to rural and suburban mosaics. Winter ranges contract southward, concentrating in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2200 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 3/5
A cavity-nesting thrush, the eastern bluebird readily uses nest boxes and rebounded dramatically thanks to widespread bluebird trail programs. Males display brilliant structural blue upperparts, while females are subtler gray-blue. They often perch-hunt from fences and posts, helping control insect populations. Competition from invasive European Starlings and House Sparrows can affect nesting success, so entrance hole size matters in box design.
S. s. sialis, Vermont.
Male
Female
Eggs
Juvenile (left) with parent
Male and female eastern bluebirds at a nesting box
Eastern bluebirds often perch on fenceposts, where they wait to hawk insects from the ground. Beetles are a staple for juveniles during warmer months.
Temperament
territorial during breeding, social in flocks otherwise
Flight Pattern
direct flight with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Pairs are typically monogamous within a breeding season and defend territories centered on a cavity or nest box. The male often displays by wing-waving and presenting nest material; the female builds the nest and incubates, while both parents feed the young. Outside the breeding season they form small flocks, sometimes mixed with other thrushes and bluebirds.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A soft, melodious series of warbled whistles, often rendered as 'cheer-cheerful-chur.' Calls include a liquid, descending 'turee' and gentle chattering notes. Songs are most frequent at dawn and early morning during spring and early summer.
