Western
Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
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![]() Above and below, a pair near their nest. |
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![]() This adult male bluebird was kiting, upside down, while seeking food from a Chinese Pistache tree on the Stanford campus. I'd never seen a bluebird engaging in this behavior before. | |
![]() Above and below, male Western Bluebirds. The scapulars (shoulders) are always orange; the orange patch on the otherwise blue back varies from non-existent to (as shown below) extensive. |
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![]() Above and below, female Western Bluebirds. |
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![]() A female, taking off, in a pasture on Acorn Ranch, across Hwy 1 from Point Lobos. | |
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![]() A male Western Bluebird feeding on elderberries in Fall. |
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![]() Two juveniles. |
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![]() This ratty looking Western Bluebird is molting from its juvenile plumage (retained in head upper breast) into its adult-like first basic; the extensive bright rufous on the underparts and the bright blue in the wings and tail mark it as a male. |