State Bird Of Missouri

State Bird Of Missouri

Eastern Bluebird Is The Official State Bird Of Missouri. Missouri Adopted the lovely Eastern Bluebird (Sialia Sialis) as the official Missouri State Bird in 1927. The Eastern Bluebird is a small blue thrush with a soft, pleasant warbling song. Bluebird populations fell precipitously in the early 20th century because of competition from starlings and sparrows for nest holes. The male bluebird has blue wings and tail and a reddish-orange chest. The female National Bird Of Missouri is grayer with a lighter orange chest. Both males and females State Bird Of Missouri have a stocky body, a round head, and a short black bill. Their diet consists of insects in spring and summer fruit and berries in fall and winter. 

 

Physical Description

The State Bird Of Missouri Eastern Bluebird is a medium-sized bird from the thrush family. Males have a deep blue plumage, while females are gray-blue in color. Adults have a white underbelly with reddish-brown throats. Mature birds grow to between 6.3 and 8.3 inches in length, have a wingspan that ranges between 9.8 and 12.6 inches, and weigh between 0.95 and 1.2 oz.

 

Food

The diet of the Missouri State Bird eastern bluebird primarily consists of insects and invertebrates, but they also feed on wild fruits and berries. For example, the bird’s preferred food sources include beetles, katydids, crickets, grasshoppers, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, earthworms, snails and sowbugs. When insects are scarce, the State Bird Of Missouri eastern bluebird will feed on fruits, preferably hackberry seeds, sumac, wild grape, hawthorn, and dogwood. The availability of food during the winter typically determines whether or not the bird will migrate. If State Bird Eastern Bluebirds do not migrate, they huddle together in thickets and orchards close to sources of food.

 

Habitat

The State Bird Of Missouri eastern bluebird prefers to inhabit open country with trees, but little and sparse ground cover. Its natural habitat includes burned pine savannas, open woodlands, forest openings, and beaver ponds. The species now also inhabit suburban parks, grazing and agricultural fields, and golf courses. The species has a range that stretches from eastern North America south to Nicaragua. National Bird Of Missouri is a social bird that moves in flocks of up to 100 individuals but becomes territorial during the breeding season and throughout the winter. Mating occurs during spring and summer, and both males and females raise their young together by delivering insects and protecting the nest from intruders. Parents occasionally raise two broods each year.

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