Discover the Official State Bird of Nevada

Nevada is a beautiful desert state that has quite a bit of biodiversity within its borders. This is often contrary to the barren-seeming appearance of its hot and arid desert environments. Nevada is also home to some extensive mountain ranges, many of which foster wildlife that is more typically found in the Rocky Mountain West (which actually lies east of Nevada).

One example of such a creature has made its way toward becoming the state bird of Nevada. The official state bird of Nevada is the Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides). This iconic songbird is a culturally and ecologically important species that exhibits many interesting behavioral quirks.

Facts About Mountain Bluebirds

Mountain Bluebirds are a member of the thrush family, a family that includes many other commonly recognized birds. Some examples include the American Robin (Turdus migratorius) and the Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina).

Mountain Bluebirds are a common and plentiful species that live north up into the Yukon and Alaska in terms of habitat. During its winter migration, this bird heads all the way down into Central Mexico to escape the cold. These Bluebirds regularly live and nest at elevations of 5,000 feet and above. There are even records of individuals living in elevations of up to 12,000 feet.

Mountain Bluebirds exhibit heavy levels of sexual dimorphism. In fact, only the males of the species exhibit the rich blue color that has given it its name. The females display muted yellow with tinges of lighter blue. This species of Bluebird is monotypic, a term that means that there are no subspecies.

Mountain Bluebirds are relatively petite. Most full-grown adults range between six and eight inches in size. This places this species of bird somewhere in between a sparrow and a robin in terms of size. These birds typically live to be about six to ten years old in the wild. These birds are quite sociable and often gather in large flocks of hundreds of individuals.

Where to See Mountain Bluebirds

Mountain Bluebirds live all across the western half of the United States. You can also see them in the Western half of Alaska and Northern Canada. As stated before, in the winter months, you can find them roosting in Mexico. In Nevada, Mountain Bluebirds also live in more low-lying environments. This includes the sagebrush flats that are somewhat emblematic of Nevada.

True to their name, Mountain Bluebirds often live in mountainous environments. Under this umbrella, the birds may often live in places where grasslands or prairies meet mountainous forest environments. These are the types of habitats where one can find their preferred foodstuffs in tandem — conifer seeds, insects, and berries.

Mountain Bluebirds are also quite gregarious and live nestled in the alcoves of mountain cabins or villages. They will also breed in human-made artificial nest boxes. This often stands in for where these birds have traditionally bred — the holes drilled into pine trees by woodpeckers. The term to describe this kind of behavior is secondary cavity nester, which refers to birds that utilize the nests of other birds for shelter. Mountain Bluebirds are also partial to holes or alcoves on the side of canyon walls or similar indentations or alcoves.

Mating and Reproduction

Mountain Bluebirds are monogamous and tend to form mating pairs that last for life. These birds will reproduce twice per year, typically producing around five or six young. Sometimes, their broods can reach up to eight individuals.

Mountain Bluebirds tend to prefer nesting in hollows, holes, and alcoves. As mentioned before, one of their traditional nesting areas is in the holes made by Woodpeckers in the bodies of trees. They will also nest in man-made nesting boxes. Many of these birds will line their nest with grasses, strips of bark, and occasionally with strips of leather or other man-made materials.

Mountain Bluebird eggs are incubated by the female for about 13-17 days after being laid. Both parents of the mating pair will feed their young. Hatchlings will leave the nest about 17-23 days after hatching. However, they will continue to care for another three to four weeks after this occurs.

Mountain Bluebirds in Culture

The Mountain Bluebird has served as a highly symbolic bird for many authors, artists, and poets. They oftentimes symbolize a carefree sense of happiness, inspiration, and freedom. This sentiment is found across cultures, dates back thousands of years, and has lent to the phrase “bluebird of happiness.”

This symbolic weight is found in the Bluebird appearing in poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Oscar Wilde. They make cameos in songs like “Over the Rainbow” and even into the world of corporate commerce through the Twitter logo.

In Ancient Chinese mythology, the Bluebird was seen to be a messenger of Xi Wangmu, a solar goddess. To the Navajo people of North America, the Bluebird is seen as a spirit messenger of the Sun and is revered in a morning sun prayer.

Mountain Bluebird Diet

Mountain Bluebirds are omnivorous and have a variable diet depending on where they live. Given that this bird has such a wide habitat and range, you might find Mountain Bluebirds snacking on very different sources of sustenance. Their diet varies wildly depending on whether they are in Canada or Mexico.

There are many overlapping dietary patterns observed in these birds, however. As mentioned before, they prefer a diet that consists of insects, seeds, and berries. Their exact dietary balance depends somewhat on the season as well. In the summer, bluebirds consume more insects, while in the winter, they eat more seeds from pinecones.

Some of the insects that Mountain Bluebirds typically eat include snails, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, ants, and spiders. Some of the berries that they like to snack on include sumac, holly, dogwood, and hackberries.

Mountain Bluebirds are often observed hovering when searching for prey. This differentiates them from other species of bluebirds, which tend to strike more rapidly. Another favorite food of these birds is Juniper berries, which exist quite plentifully over the landscapes of Nevada at certain elevations.

If you’re interested in attracting Mountain Bluebirds to your bird feeder, you can try softened dried fruits. Other successful substances include mealworms, peanut butter, or bird dough. Most commercial bird feeder substances are enough to attract this sociable bird. Additionally, planting fruit bushes and fruit trees in your yard should be sufficient to attract Bluebirds.

Threats Towards Mountain Bluebirds

Mountain Bluebirds are considered to be a “Least Concern” species by the IUCN. This means that their population is relatively stable. However, recent years have seen the bird’s population decline slightly due to an influx of threats from man-made sources. The experts estimate that the population of Mountain Bluebirds in the United States is declining. It has done so by approximately 26% between 1966 and 2014. This population decline owes itself to a complex set of different factors.

Mountain Bluebirds experienced a massive population boom in the early decades of westward development. This was due to the logging and cattle grazing industries. These industries actually created more of the grassland habitats that are favorable for Mountain Bluebirds.

The current decline this species is experiencing is possibly due to a wane in these other environmentally dubious practices. This means that the former population boom experienced by Mountain Bluebirds was somewhat unsustainable. Other threats to the Mountain Bluebird from human origins include noise pollution from industrial sources. These can affect the bird’s breeding cycles and reproductive health.