I became a fan of the mountain bluebird after reading an article by nature writer, Julie Zickefoose. The article was titled “The Road to Magdalena.”
It focused on her sightings of mountain bluebirds when she was driving through New Mexico after a visit to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
The mountain bluebird is 7.25 inches long with a sky blue back, a whitish belly and a dark, short pointed beak. The female is more of a grayish blue overall.
We are fortunate that the mountain bluebird’s year-round and winter range extends throughout New Mexico.
The mountain bluebird prefers open country and can be found in mountain meadows, grasslands, cut agricultural fields, tundra and prairie lands throughout the west. In winter months mountain bluebirds can form flocks of 20 to 200.
A number of years ago I spotted a small flock of mountain bluebirds at a puddle in an alley in my Nob Hill neighborhood in Albuquerque. This was unusual because mountain bluebirds rarely visit urban areas.
Mountain bluebirds eat mainly insects such as beetles, grasshoppers and caterpillars during the summer nesting season. In winter their diet changes to berries, seeds and insects, when available.
Last winter, on a visit to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, I watched a flock of mountain bluebirds feasting on mistletoe berries. In winter, at the Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex, I commonly see large flocks of a dozen or more mountain bluebirds foraging in the agricultural fields. They often perch on a cut corn stalk or do what is called “hovering” or “hawking.”
This is when they flap their wings while in a holding position about 3-to-5-feet above the ground waiting to pounce on insects on the ground below. These beautiful birds can be easily overlooked, especially when there are thousands of sandhill cranes or snow geese in the area.
Like other bluebirds, the mountain bluebird will readily use man-made nesting boxes if positioned in appropriate habitat in open areas. If no man-made boxes are available they will find existing holes in large trees near open habitat.
The female bluebird chooses a mate based on the quality of the nest cavity the male has found and not so much on the strength of the male’s flying, singing abilities or attractiveness.
Be sure to keep a close eye out for these gorgeous bluebirds next time you are at one of New Mexico’s many wildlife refuges or when hiking in a mountain meadow.
Mary Schmauss is the owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Albuquerque. A lifelong birder and author of “For the Birds: A Month-by-Month Guide to Attracting Birds to your Backyard.”
