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Western Bluebird
[Sialia mexicana]
[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)
(use image name "blubw1" for inquiries)
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