Western Bluebird of Happiness

Photo by Marty Horowitz 12/7/2016

The Western Bluebird is a winter visitor to Sabino Canyon. Marty caught this one in mid-deposit. What do these birds eat? Allaboutbirds.org tells us:

During summer Western Bluebirds eat mainly insects; in winter they switch to eating mostly fruits and seeds, supplemented with insects. They typically catch ground-dwelling insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, ants, wasps, and pillbugs, as well as eating spiders and snails. They’ve been seen catching marine invertebrates on beaches. Winter foods include many kinds of berries, particularly elderberry, grapes, mistletoe, raspberries and blackberries, serviceberry, sumac, chokecherries, juniper, and poison oak.

Photo by Bill Kaufman 12/7/2016