Mountain Bluebird Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesMountain Bluebird
Adult male
Small, stocky thrush with a round head and a thin bill. Adult males are sky-blue overall, darker above than below.
© Darren Clark / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, April 29, 2020Female/immature
Round-bellied thrush with a thin bill. Females/immatures are mostly gray-brown with tinges of pale blue in the wings and tail. Belly color varies from pale rusty to grayish.
© Kalin Ocaña / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, May 09, 2020Juvenile
Juveniles look similar to females, but have sparse spotting on the back and belly.
© Van Remsen / Macaulay LibraryColorado, July 13, 2017Female/immature
Small thrush. Females/immatures can have pale rusty wash on the breast or a grayish wash. Note thin white eyering.
© Jody Wells / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, January 15, 2017Adult male
Small sky-blue thrush. Adult males are unmistakable.
© Chris Wood / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 07, 2008Adult male
The sky-blue color tends to be brighter on the tail and wings.
© Ian Routley / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, June 09, 2019Female/immature
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 28, 2021Not all videos have sound
Adult male
Adult males in winter tend to be paler overall with a grayer belly.
© Marc North / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, December 10, 2016Habitat
Found in open spaces such as prairie, sagebrush steppe, and even alpine tundra; anywhere with open country with at least a few trees that have holes in them or nest boxes for nesting.
© Kalin Ocaña / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, May 09, 2020Flock
In winter, often occurs in large flocks wandering the landscape feasting on berries, particularly those of junipers.
© Chris Wood / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 04, 2009Similar SpeciesEastern Bluebird
Adult male
Adult male Eastern Bluebirds are darker blue overall with a rusty-orange breast unlike the entirely sky-blue adult male Mountain Bluebirds.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, February 21, 2017Similar SpeciesEastern Bluebird
Adult female
Adult female Eastern Bluebirds have orange on the chest that is always richer and brighter than even the warmest-chested female Mountain Bluebird.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, February 21, 2017Similar SpeciesWestern Bluebird
Adult male
Adult male Western Bluebirds are darker blue overall with a rusty-orange breast unlike the entirely sky-blue adult male Mountain Bluebirds.
© Brooke Miller / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 13, 2015Similar SpeciesWestern Bluebird
Female/immature
Female/immature Western Bluebirds have a grayish chin whereas female/immature Mountain Bluebirds tend to have a buffy chin. They also lack the white edging on the flight feathers seen on female Mountain Bluebirds.
© Erica Rutherford/ John Colbert / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 09, 2017Similar SpeciesTownsend's Solitaire
Adult
Townsend's Solitaires have a more prominent white eyering than female Mountain Bluebirds and have buffy coloring on the wings while Mountain Bluebirds have blue tinted wings.
© Ryan O'Donnell / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 08, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Thrushes and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Turdidae)
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