Summary

This episode is all about bluebirds: the three North American species in the genus Sialia: The Eastern Bluebird, Western Bluebird, and Mountain Bluebird.

For centuries, these beloved birds have been celebrated in paintings, poems, songs, and Disney cartoons.

The Eastern Bluebird is the state bird of Missouri and New York, while the Mountain Bluebird is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada.

And, apparently, the Mountain Bluebird was the inspiration for the original Twitter logo.

But bluebirds aren’t just cultural icons. They’ve also become valuable study subjects for scientists in the fields of ornithology and general biology. Research on these little birds has led to insights about the way the natural world works—from evolution, to ecology, behavior, diseases, and genetics.

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Links of Interest

• North American Bluebird Society

Research Citations

• A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the “true thrushes” (Aves: Turdinae)
• Mechanisms of evolutionary change in structural plumage coloration among bluebirds (Sialia spp.)
• Molecular evidence suggests that the enigmatic Sulawesi endemic Geomalia heinrichi belongs in the genus Zoothera
• Probable Cavity Usurpation via Interspecific Killing by the Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)
• The anatomical basis of sexual dichromatism in non-iridescent ultraviolet-blue structural coloration of feathers
• Violet-Green Swallows Help Western Bluebirds at the Nest

Photos

Attributions

• Eastern Bluebird sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC179669)
• Western Bluebird sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC618579)
• Mountain Bluebird sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC254430)
• Western Bluebird sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC561903)