Larger than a sparrow yet smaller than an American Robin, the Western Bluebird is a small thrush that perches upright. The male is shiny blue above with rust-orange extending from a vest on the breast onto the upper back. The female is gray-buff with a pale orange wash on the breast and blue tints in the wings and tail. The male sports a blue throat, the female's throat is a gray buff. Both have whitish lower bellies. The Western Bluebird lives in open woodlands and at the edges of woods, thriving in disturbed areas such as burned forests or logged areas that still contain dead trees suitable for nesting and perching. It is common in eastern Washington where forest meets the steppes and in open coniferous forests especially Ponderosa Pine. Nest boxes are in place in Kittitas, Yakima, Klickitat, Walla Walla, Columbia and Garfield counties. The Western Bluebird is now regular but uncommon in the Fort Lewis area. It is rare in forest clearings in King, Pierce, Thurston and Mason counties, in areas near Port Townsend and at the mouth of the Naselle River and Forks. It can be found year round in Skamania County. This bird tends to perch fairly low to the ground on prominent limbs, fence posts and signs. It forages for insects by scanning the ground from a perch, then abruptly dropping down to grab its prize. During summer, the Western Bluebird eats mainly insects. In winter, it switches to eating mostly fruits and seeds supplemented with insects. A paired male and female will search for a nest site together, inspecting cavities to see if they are suitable. Nests are placed in holes in trees, living or dead. Previous-year's woodpecker nest holes are often used as well as natural tree holes. The Western Bluebird will also readily use a nest box. The female does almost all of the nest construction using grasses, straw, pine needles, moss, other plant fibers and fur. She lines the nest cup with grasses, rootlets, feathers and horsehair. She may take up to 2 weeks to build her first nest of the season. The female may have one to three broods, laying 2 - 8 pale blue or white eggs each time. She will incubate the eggs for 12 - 17 days then the pink-skinned chicks will hatch sporting sparse gray down and eyes closed. A Western Bluebird weighs about an ounce. It needs about 15 calories per day or 23 calories if raising young. The oldest known Western Bluebird was a male, at least 8 years, 8 months old. He was originally banded in California in 2001 and was found again in the same state in 2008.
