[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

The electric blue coloring of male Bluebirds certainly makes them one of the most beautiful of the New World thrushes. Bluebirds declined in numbers for several decades due to several factors. One is that European Starlings and House Sparrows competed aggressively with them for nesting sites. Another is that Bluebirds require open spaces, which are disappearing as land is developed for housing and business uses. However, the concerted efforts of people to put up specially-designed nest boxes specifically sized for Bluebirds (and slightly too small for Starlings) have resulted in promising increases in their numbers. This male Western Bluebird was photographed in the foothills east of Santa Maria, California, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm f4 EDAF lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: September 1997)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This female Western Bluebird was photographed at the Macdonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 20, 2008)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This female Western Bluebird was photographed at McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: December 21, 2009)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This male Western Bluebird was photographed at McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC20E II 2.0x Teleconverter (EFL=900mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: December 21, 2009)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This male Western Bluebird was photographed at Yavapai Lodge, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II] lens (EFL=300mm) on a Nikon D7000 camera. (Date: September 21, 2011)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This immature Western Bluebird was photographed at Sequoia National Forest, California, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: July 2, 2013)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This female Western Bluebird was photographed at Ghost Ranch Conference Center, Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: October 18, 2013)

[Length 5.75 in. Wingspan 9 in.]

Bluethroats are Old World thrushes which breed locally in small numbers in western and northern Alaska. The blue and red throat pattern is iridescent, like that of a hummingbird. This male, a spring migrant, was photographed along the base of Sevuokuk Mountain at the village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Ektachrome 400 film pushed to 800. (Date: June 1989)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 11.5 in.]

This male Bobolink was photographed at Sax-Zim Bog, Meadowlands, Minnesota. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: June 10, 2018)