The Western Bluebird 
bird warbles de¬ 
lightfully; there¬ 
fore, the Western 
Bluebird ought to 
—but it doesn’t! 
In an experience 
of some thirty- 
nine years, the 
author has never 
heard from the 
Western Blue¬ 
bird’s beak an 
utterance which 
deserves the 
name of song, or 
anything more 
musical than the 
threefold miu. 
As an instance of 
this pathetic in¬ 
effectiveness, I 
recall a morning 
at Idyll wild (in 
the San Jacinto 
Mountains), 
where I heard a 
concert in which 
not less than six 
Bluebirds joined. 
They were in 
deadly earnest, 
for favors were 
at stake, but 
their best offer¬ 
ing was, kititick, Taken in Oregon 
mite; kitick miu, 
miu, miu. Akin to this intrusive, rattling kitick, is the phrase used in 
alarm or rebuke, chewtew, or chewtew queelp, where the last note has a 
faintly-dawning musical quality. At the nest one hears a shorter note 
of protest, which sounds remotely like the kek of a distrustful Guinea- 
fowl; and the bird indulges also certain very unmusical chittering and 
clucking notes, when endeavoring to attract the attention of its young. 
Photo by Finley and Bohlman 
WESTERN BLUEBIRD AT NEST 
777 
