Interestingly, bluebirds are seen as symbols of happiness in many cultures, and this symbolism dates back a thousand years!As soon as winter arrives, you start wrapping up in layers of clothes to fight the cold. Have you ever thought about how birds respond to the winter season?There are around 10,000 different species of warm-blooded birds in the world and they are in the genus of bluebirds, Sialia, classified into three different species. These are the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides), western bluebird (Sialia Mexicana), and the eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis). They belong to the thrush family of birds and are closely related to thrushes (Turdidae), nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos), and robins (Turdus migratorius). The genus was first documented by William John Swainson, an English naturalist in 1827, with eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) as the type species.Although these birds have a range from the northern states of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida to the southeastern states of Georgia, Alabama, Mexico, and Texas, different species of bluebirds are residents of a different distribution range. The mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) is found throughout western North America while the western bluebird (Sialia Mexicana) is a resident of rocky southern mountains, New Mexico, Arizona, and California in the United States, and the eastern bluebird (Sialia Cialis) is a resident of the range from the US Gulf states to east-central southern Canada and from Nicaragua to southeastern Arizona. Also, bluebirds were sighted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Although bluebirds are migratory, they are found in and near North Carolina year-round. Bluebirds are quite similar to woodpeckers in their behavior. Both bluebirds and woodpeckers are territorial and have the same natural habitat. This is open grasslands with trees distributed throughout their habitat.If there is a cold breeze around or snow falling, our teeth-chatter in the cold! We start putting on lots of clothing or maybe go on a vacation to a warmer place. Animal species have their own ways to fight off cold weather. While some migrate to wintering grounds, others hibernate, whereas some might put on an extra layer of skin, fur, or feathers. How does a bluebird, the spirit of the winter, survive the winter season?It is wrongly assumed that bluebirds hibernate or sleep in winter. Rather, bluebirds are migratory birds that flock together to migrate to warmer places in the south during mild winters. Since they need to stay warm during the winter season, they huddle together in flocks for warmth. Also, they migrate south and they do not reside in the north year-round. These seasonal movements typically take place during the fall and spring seasons. They have their roosting boxes with an entry hole that allows warm air inside and also helps them to escape predators. Some species of bluebirds do not migrate and rather reside over their breeding territories throughout the year, irrespective of the weather or season. Migration in northern birds commences earlier than southern birds. Also, males arrive early to their wintering grounds, compared to female bluebirds. Read the article to know more about this bird’s migrating patterns and movements during the winter!If you enjoy this article, why not also read about why do birds chirp at night and why do birds fly here on Kidadl.Do eastern bluebirds migrate for the winter?Populations of eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) are residents of North America. While some are permanent residents residing nearby their breeding territories, others are either seasonal long-distance migrants, or some might move to the south temporarily due to unpleasant weather.The populations of eastern bluebirds are classified into several subspecies like Sialia sialis bermudensis, Sialia sialis caribaea, Sialia sialis fulva, Sialia sialis guatemalae, Sialia sialis meridionalis, Sialia sialis nidificans, and Sialia sialis sialis. You can easily distinguish an eastern bluebird from other bluebirds since female eastern bluebirds have a gray crown over their heads and have more of an orange breast, whereas male eastern bluebirds have a black head and back and have a bright red breast. Their habitat ranges from the open country, with sparse ground vegetation and abundant trees, to pine savannas, ponds, woods, agricultural fields, suburban parks, rocky mountains, and forest lands. Their populations reside in and near Canada and the Gulf states in the south and from Arizona to Nicaragua towards the east. The subspecies of eastern bluebirds have a varying distribution within the range and also have varying migratory behaviors.While the range of the breeding territory of eastern bluebirds expands and contracts year-round, the populations of eastern bluebirds reside near the south of their range. During their migration season, around mid-fall, they often move towards the north. Since not all eastern bluebirds are migratory, these resident birds roost or nest near their breeding or roosting territories throughout the year, whereas migratory birds migrate from the south to the north and back during the fall and spring. Flocks of birds migrate to warmer places, leaving freezing places during the mid-fall, after October, while they return back to their territory with the arrival of spring season or early summer, when the weather turns warmer around March.An eastern bluebird residing and nesting in trees near Manitoba and Central Ohio migrates to Alabama, Louisiana, Mexico, Mississippi, and Texas when the weather turns colder. Likewise, an eastern bluebirds that nest or roost in trees within the range from Michigan to New Hampshire are migrants that fly to wintering grounds in the south ranging between Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. These eastern bluebirds return back and join the resident birds with passing winters. Rarely or situationally, a resident eastern bluebird that is nesting around its breeding ground year-round is forced to fly a long-distance away from the breeding ground, often due to habitat destruction or food scarcity. The resident eastern bluebird’s migrating pattern is inconsistent as the situational migration is temporary. Also, natural calamities affecting wild creatures, including food scarcity and habitat destruction, cannot be speculated. Situational migration for an eastern bluebird is less likely to occur, too. Situational migrants often return back to their house and join their family and flock once the situation and conditions around them improve. A flock of migrant birds covers a distance of 1400 mi (2,253 km).Where do bluebirds spend the night (roost) during migration?Similar to cavity-nesting birds like woodpeckers, an eastern bluebird is often found nesting in a cavity, found in trees, or in nesting boxes at night. Also, an eastern bluebird might build its house, a cavity-nest or box, in a hole abandoned by a woodpecker or any other cavity-nesting bird. Often bluebirds roost in a tree nest or nesting box in parks, orchards, pastures, or meadows. Bluebirds leave their house or nest in the winter and fly to warmer places. When you are away from your house, you book a flat or a hotel, you do not start living on the streets. Similarly, bluebirds are speculated to live in a nest constructed in tree cavities or boxes when they migrate to another place, as their natural preference of habitat doesn’t change.Although it is not known where bluebirds roost during when they migrate, it is often highlighted that this bird seeks refuge in thickets or areas with plentiful resources and food. Mostly, these birds roost in flocks, and often this bird is found isolated in a nest or box. They live in natural cavities, nesting boxes, or cavities constructed by a woodpecker or a cavity-nesting bird. They are often not familiar with what routes they travel, neither do they have brains like humans, nor do they have maps to decipher. Bluebirds establish their territory wherever they find abandoned cavities until they move out. Bluebirds are known to return to their wintering grounds and residential territories when the weather changes, but often their cavities are taken, and they have to hunt for abandoned cavities to reside in.Until then, they roost around in a tree. While bluebirds reside in communities, they compete for cavities or nesting boxes with other birds like titmice, house sparrows, tree swallows, and European starlings. While there is very little known about the roosting habits of a bluebird, this bird’s diet is known to shift from insects in warmer weather to berries in the winter. Berries such as juniper, holly, sumac, berry, heck, and dogwood are found in abundance during the winter, whereas insects are not available as many insects hibernate during the cold season.Do bluebirds go back to the same nest every year?The bluebird is known to return back to the same nesting territory, but it is not known if it returns back to its original nest or nesting box. Often the nesting areas have several nests and boxes. This means the bird often uses any of the abandoned nests or box. At times, it might be the same nest too. Since a bluebird does not have the brain to navigate its route, it is often coincidental that it returns to the same nest after a year.Imagine you come back home, what would you prefer to do first - lie down or clean up before you lie down? Obviously, anyone would prefer to return back to a clean room so that you can just lie down. Similarly, constructing a new nest or box might take as many as two to six days, bluebirds too prefer to stay in abandoned nests and boxes rather than building a new one.Are you planning to plant a nest box in your yard? Keep it clean to attract bluebirds to your nest box.Do bluebirds stay north in the winter?Only resident bluebirds stay in the north while migrant birds migrate to the south and return when the weather improves.Bluebirds residing in the northern range are often migrants that move to the south, whereas birds in the south or warmer places are permanent residents of the place.What distances do bluebirds cover during migration?The distance covered by bluebirds depends upon the climate difference between places. Birds residing in Canada are recorded to fly over 1400 mi (2,253 km) towards the south in Mexico and the southern states. On the contrary, situational migrants often cover small distances and return back as soon as situations improve. They fly approximately for over a few hundred miles.The migration patterns of bluebirds are poorly recorded. Their behaviors are mere assumptions or observations. The subspecies of bluebirds are known to survive winters in their own way, but they do not wear layers of clothes, like us!Did You Know…Wondering how to spot or recognize a bluebird? As their name suggests, bluebirds have a rose beige or blue plumage. Female birds are often dull or less bright in plumage compared to male birds. Also, they have similar patterns all over their bodies.These are songbirds whose song sounds like a short ‘cheer-cheer-lee-churr’ or melodious ‘chiti weewwewidoo’. The song is often heard within their range, highlighting the presence of these beloved songbirds.They are omnivorous birds, typically insectivorous, and their diet comprises a wide range of insects and wild berries, including grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, spiders, lizards, tree frogs, earthworms, and small lizards.These birds brood twice or four times, from March to August, during the spring season and summerHere at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked learning about do bluebirds migrate, then why not take a look at why do birds sing or bluebird facts.
Interestingly, bluebirds are seen as symbols of happiness in many cultures, and this symbolism dates back a thousand years!
