Thursday, April 16, 2015

These Area Birds are Bluer Than Bluebirds.

Eastern bluebirds are familiar birds to even the most casual of observers. They live in our backyards, patronize our feeders, and readily accept nest boxes. The males can be breathtakingly beautiful with their bright blue upperparts.

But there are more species of birds that are actually bluer than the Eastern bluebird, and there are opportunities to enjoy them at feeders as they migrate into and through our area right now. You are most likely to see them at sunflower feeders so keep them fresh and stocked. Here are the possibilities below:

Male Indigo Bunting by Ron Clark

Indigo buntings (above and below) are really quite common breeders in our area. They can be abundant in areas of good habitat. Look for them along the greenways, and other areas where there is a lot of edge habitat.
The males are brilliant blue as shown here. the females are drab brown, giving the impression of a sparrow.
This species will visit feeders when presented the opportunity.  
Male Indigo Bunting by Jeff Lewis

Blue grosbeaks (below) are larger than the indigo buntings and have a larger, more massive bill. The brilliant males are a more purple-blue than the indigo bunting, and have a large brown wingbar, easily seen in this photo. They frequent the same habitats as the indigo bunting, but are generally less common.
Like the bunting, the females are brown in color.

Male Blue Grosbeak by John Ennis