Western Bluebird
Sialia mexicana
Adult males have dark blue head, back, and wings. Breast and sides are deep orange with orange sometimes bleeding onto back. Females are grayer overall with orange on breast, blue usually restricted to wings and tail. Favors fields with some trees and open woods. Often in small groups. Frequently perches on wires or fence posts. Nests in cavities. Range barely overlaps Eastern Bluebird, but note orange on back of males and grayer belly and sides of neck on female.
识别特征
The western bluebird is a small stocky bird with a length of 15 to 18 cm (5.9 to 7.1 in). The adult male is bright blue on top and on the throat with an orange breast and sides, a brownish patch on back, and a gray belly and undertail coverts. The adult female has a duller blue body, wings, and tail, a gray throat, a dull orange breast, and a gray belly and undertail coverts. Both sexes have a thin straight bill with a fairly short tail. Immature birds have duller colors than the adults, and have spots on their chest and back.<p>Their calling consists of the mating songs which sound like "cheer," "chur-chur," and "chup." This helps male western bluebirds find the females easily in condensed forest. The males use these calls to tell competing males that the territory belongs to them.<p>The western bluebird can be readily distinguished from the two other species in the bluebird genus. The western bluebird has a blue (male) or gray (female) throat, the eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) has an orange throat, and the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) lacks orange color anywhere on its body.
分类信息
The western bluebird was formally described by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1832 and given the binomial name Sialia mexicana.<p>Six subspecies are recognised:
- 学名
- Sialia mexicana
- 命名信息
- Swainson, 1832
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Turdidae
- 属
- Sialia
分布与栖息地
The western bluebird has been displaced from its natural habitat by the felling of trees; however it has adapted to coniferous forests, farmlands, semi-open terrain, and desert to survive. The year-round range includes California, the southern Rocky Mountains, Arizona, and New Mexico in the United States, and as far south as the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz in Mexico. The summer breeding range extends as far north as the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Montana. Northern birds can migrate to the southern parts of the range; southern birds are often permanent residents.
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
保护状况
Population trend: rising.
- 种群趋势
- rising
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Mindoro Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula mindorensis
A large pigeon of montane forest canopy on Mindoro with a metallic green wing and rump, a bronzy back, a buffy throat, and gray underparts, sides of the neck, and crown. Note the red eye-ring and the broad gray central band in the black tail. Somewhat similar to Pink-bellied Imperial-Pigeon, but Mindoro lacks the dark neck and chest. Also similar to Green Imperial-Pigeon, but Mindoro is usually found higher up and has a dark back and a red eye-ring. Song is two deep, booming hoots.
Andaman Nightjar
Caprimulgus andamanicus
A dark, medium-sized nightjar with a somewhat long tail and wings. The crown and back are markedly paler gray, and the white throat patch can sometimes be hidden. In flight, note the white patch on the outermost flight feathers. Found in open woodland, forest clearings, and mangroves. The song consists of 4-5 loud, hard notes delivered in a level series: “chowk-chowk-chowk-...”.
Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher
Trochocercus nitens
A locally common but easily overlooked flycatcher of forest and forest edge. Has a distinctive crested flycatcher shape but more warbler-like behavior, sitting laterally on perches and moving its tail around as it forages. Male has a glossy black head, throat, back, wings, and tail, with a pale gray belly. Female is pale gray all over, slightly darker on the back, wings, and tail, with a blackish cap. Song is an ethereal, hollow “wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo,” rising in pitch, reminiscent of a fast White-spotted Flufftail. Calls include harsh chatters and rattles.
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