All bluebirds are cavity nesters. Once common in rural and suburban areas, bluebird populations declined by as much as 90% from 1920 – 1970. The decline was due to two things, 1) the loss of nesting habitats, such as tree holes, rotted out fence posts and old orchards; and 2) the introduction of the starling and house sparrow in the last half of the 1800’s. These two species, introduced from Europe, competed heavily with the bluebird for existing nesting cavities. Utilization of a sparrow trap is often critical to bluebird breeding success.
Now you too can make a contribution to conserving these beautiful bird by putting up nest boxes in appropriate habitat. The key to attracting bluebirds to nest in your yard is to have plenty of potential nesting locations, food and water. Bluebirds do prefer more “open area” so if your yard is heavily wooded you’ll enjoy many other nesting birds, but probably not bluebirds.
The female will lay four to five light blue eggs that will take thirteen to fifteen days to hatch. The male brings food to his mate and the young during the critical first few days of feeding. They act link tiny hawks, waiting patiently for an insect or beetle to show itself. It then pounces on it and brings the food back to the nest. Providing a T-shaped perching cross ten to twenty yards in front of the nest box can sometimes help attract bluebirds.
