John Tschopp writes: “The Mountain Bluebird, that has been around in our neighborhood for a few days, was posing so nicely today. I think it wanted its picture taken.”
According to Hinterland Who’s Who, the mountain bluebird, Sialia currucoides, is a type of thrush, like the robin, and:
- travels in flocks of up to 50 birds during winter, often with Western Bluebirds and Sparrows;
- is the most migratory bluebird species;
- is a highly aggressive bird;
- will sometimes obtain its food by hovering in the air a metre or more above the ground in a hawk-like manner, unlike other birds in its thrush family;
- population was in decline and perhaps doomed to extinction before bird lovers across North America began in the 1920s to build nest boxes
Pemberton’s Krista Walden captured the bright colour of its feathers in this shot in her online portfolio of bird sightings:
