Mountain Bluebirds Seen In Louisiana (Recorded Data)

[Evelyn Cooper]

Mountain Bluebird is a migratory western species. Louisiana occasionally gets strays in the south and east. A special thanks goes to Steve Cardiff, Manager of Birds and Mammals, LSUMNS, to the Louisiana Birds Records Committee, and to Dr. Van Remsen, Curator of Birds, LSU Museum of Natural Science, Donna Ditmann, Collections Manager, Paul Dickson and Steve Cardiff, authors of the Birds of Louisiana Book Project.

The Mountain Bluebird Species seen in Louisiana is listed below:

Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)

STATUS AND HABITAT: Casual in fall and early winter. The nine records are scattered throughout Louisiana. Found primarily in open areas with bare or nearly bare ground.
RECORDS:

• (f) 28 Jan. 1968, 3 mi. SW of Alford, W. Baton Rouge (K. P. Able; F. James
1968, Lowery 1974; LSUMZ 63576)

• (ad. m) 14 Feb. 1970, 5 mi. N of New Roads, Pointe Coupee (RJN et al.;
James 1970, Lowery 1974)

• (imm. m) 28-29 Oct. 1978, Holly Beach, Cameron (JVR, TAP, HDP, NLN et al.;
Purrington 1979, ABF, Schulenberg 1986)

• (m) 18 Dec. 1985 - 4 Jan. 1986, above Delta Point, Madison (H. Moore, E.
Hands, H. Candlish et al.; ABF)

• (imm. f) 18 Nov. 1990 , ca. 5 mi. E of Cameron (DLD, SWC; Jackson 1991;
LSUMZ 152102)

• (ad. m) 18 Dec. 1985 - 2 Feb. 1986, near Delta, Madison (E. Hands, H.
Candlish, H. Moore et al.; Muth 1986, Dittmann 1995)

• (imm. m) 3 Jan. – 9/27[JR1] <#_msocom_1> <?> Feb. 1993, 5 mi. S of
Crowley, Acadia (MJM, PEC, RJBr, CAM, GBS, CK et al.; Stedman 1993, Dittmann
et al. 1998; photos deposited in LOS BRC file)

• (f) 9 Oct. 1995, New Orleans (DPM; Jackson 1996)

• (imm. m) 4-10 Jan. 1998, L. Martin, St. Martin (PAW, JPS, PEC, WDP, DFL;
ABF, Stedman 1998, Dittmann and Cardiff 2003; photos deposited in LOS BRC
file)

IDENTIFICATION TIPS AND BEHAVIOR: In addition to the color differences covered by standard field guides, the posture, shape and behavior of Mountain Bluebird differs from that of Eastern Bluebird. Mountain is a slightly larger, longer-winged, longer-legged, longer-billed, less hunch-backed bird with slower wingbeats, higher frequency of hovering, and more terrestrial foraging. In the western USA, Mountains are frequently seen feeding on the ground in open areas, and they tend to occur in less-wooded areas than the other two bluebirds. See also Kaufman (1992), who also noted that fall female Mountain Bluebirds can be slightly buffy-orange on the breast in fresh plumage, creating confusion with Eastern Bluebird.

DIET: Birds observed in Louisiana feed in typical fashion, namely by sally from exposed perches to the ground, typically bare dirt; the bird from St. Martin was also seen to feed on the fruit of Hackberry (Fontenot 1998).

Written With Permission from Steve Cardiff, Manager
LSU Museum of Natural Science
Baton Rouge, Louisiana