Mountain Bluebird

 

The mountain bluebird is one of three bluebird species in North America. They inhabit open range and meadows typically above 5000 feet in altitude through out the western half of the continent. Their range overlaps much of the range of the western bluebird. They typically breed from Alaska  down to New Mexico with birds in the northern part of the range migrating as far south as Mexico during the winter. They feed primarily on insects and berries and will group together in feeding flocks during the winter.

The mountain bluebird is a cavity nester. They will often compete for nest sites with the western bluebird. At one point their population was in decline because of habitat loss due to an increase in agriculture, however investments in nesting boxes by concerned land owners has helped to increase their numbers. The female builds the nest by herself. She will typically lay 4 to 8 eggs which she will incubate for about 2 weeks. The chicks take about 3 weeks until they fledge. While nesting both male and female will defend the nest.