Bluebird

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

one of the most delightful orchard and lawn birds of America. It is related to the thrush. It is about seven inches in length. The male is bright blue above, with cinnamon sides and a white belly. "With the earth tinge on his breast and the sky tinge on his back," says Burroughs. It ranges from the Gulf to Hudson Bay , wintering from the Ohio Valley southward. In winter it feeds largely on the berries of the mistletoe. So many bluebirds perished in the great freeze of 1895--the same that ruined the Florida orange groves--that bluebirds were noticeably scarce in their usual summer homes for several years. The blue-bird prefers to nest in a bird house, but its old home is a hollow tree. Eggs, four to six, white or tinged with blue. There are five distinct species corresponding to the various regions of North America . The bluebird is gentle, and when not molested loses half its shyness. Its welcome arrival in early spring is alluded to by Lowell in The bluebird, shifting his light load of song From post to post along the cheerless fence, and by Aldrich in Hark! 'tis the bluebird's venturous strain High on the old fringed elm at the gate, Sweet-voiced, valiant on the swaying bough, . . . . . Alert, elate, Dodging the fitful spits of snow-- New England's poet laureate Telling us spring has come again! 2026 Editor's Note: The bluebird nearly vanished from much of its range, squeezed out of nest holes by introduced starlings and house sparrows and poisoned by pesticides. It was rescued by volunteers: tens of thousands of people put up nest boxes along " bluebird trails ," and the population recovered — one of the most successful pieces of amateur conservation ever undertaken. (Ed: BR 2026-07-05)