BAP NEWS

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE WORLD IS FULL OF EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS.

Many with features so striking they a very conspicuous wherever they happen to be, especially this one wearing his sky blue plumage.

The mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) is definitely one of those birds that fit these criteria, managing to look stunning in his sky blue suit, whilst at the same time look extremely adorable.

More like a flying fluffy cotton ball.

Mesmerizing in their soothing blue plumage, it appears darker on their wings and more pale on their underparts.

Unlike their male counterparts, females are mostly gray-brown on their heads, chest, wings, and tails.

These birds can be found throughout much of the western United States and Canada, especially during the breeding season, letting many people know that spring is on the way.

During the summer, the diet of Mountain bluebirds predominately consists of insects; while, in the winter months they eat mostly berries (like Juniper berries, Russian-olive berries, elderberry, etc.) and fruit seeds (such as mistletoe seeds and grapes, just to name a few)

During the breeding season, you may be lucky enough to have a nest built in your backyard, watch as the eggs are incubated and hatched. As Mountain bluebirds nest in existing cavities, not making their own, issues like deforestation and harmful agricultural practices limit the number of available nesting sites. Conservation efforts, such as building nesting boxes have thankfully alleviated the problem.

Though, clearly as cute as buttons, please be aware that they can sometimes be pretty aggressive. If you don’t believe me, just check out this dude’s face below!

Though fairly common, populations have declined by about 26% between 1966 and also in 2014, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.

The global population is thought to be around 4.6 million, with 80% spending some part of the year in the U.S, 20% breeding in Canada, and 31 % wintering in Mexico.