Eastern Bluebird: how to recognise it
A bird of North America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Judy Gallagher · CC BY · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Sialia sialis
- Family
- Thrushes
- Size
- About 17 cm
- Habitat
- Open woodland, farmland and orchards
- Found in
- North America
The key marks
Male is bright blue above with a rusty-orange throat, breast and flanks and a white belly. Western Bluebird has a blue throat, a greyer belly and often a rusty patch on the upper back.
Voice
A soft, liquid 'tru-ly' call and a gentle warbling song.
Good to know
It nests in tree holes and readily uses nest boxes, which helped its numbers recover.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Western Bluebird. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in open woodland, farmland and orchards. It is especially common in Texas and the United States. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.