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Distribution. Western North America. In Canada, southern British Columbia. 
The Common Bluebird of the southwest coast. 
SUBSPECIES. The Western Bluebird of Canada is Sialia mexicana occidentals. 
In general habit and appearance so like the Eastern Bluebird as to 
require no special discussion. 
768. Mountain Bluebird, arctic bluebird. Sialia currucoides. L, 7. Plate 
LXXXIV. Spring male: all solid, metallic, light sky-blue, paling on head and breast. 
Lower abdomen white. Female: with blue very much reduced; head, and back with blue 
veiled with ashy-grey; underparts pale brownish ash, strongest on face and throat; blue 
showing clearly only on wings and tail. Juveniles lately from nest almost identical with 
parallel plumage of Eastern and Western Bluebirds. 
Distinctions. The all-blueness of the adult male is unlike any other Canadian bird 
except the Indigo Bunting. It is considerably larger and has a thrush-like instead of a 
Sparrow bill. Females are distinctive from either of the other Bluebirds by the absence 
of reddish on breast. Juveniles may be recognized by the paleness of the blue suggested 
on wings and tail. 
Field Marks. An all-blue bird, markedly larger than the Indigo Bunting. Females: 
softly, light ashy birds with blue on tail, rump, and wings. Juveniles: brownish ashy, 
with ashy and light brown spotted or striped breast, and strong blue suffusions on wings 
and tail. 
Nesting. In old woodpecker-holes and cavities in stubs and cliffs, or artificial nesting 
boxes. 
Distribution. Western North America. In Canada from the west coast east to 
Manitoba, north to the Yukon and Mackenzie valley. 
The Mountain Bluebird, a beautiful bird, has been extending east of 
late and is now well established more or less commonly as far as central 
Manitoba. It has all the pretty ways and habits of the Eastern Bluebird, 
but is more cerulean in its coloration. A famous writer has described the 
Eastern Bluebird as “The sky above, the earth beneath" referring to the 
blue back and red breast. Following this figure of speech, the Mountain 
Bluebird is purely celestial with no earthy contamination. It is at home 
in all kinds of places. In the tree plantations about the prairie homes it 
will build in the hollow cornices of the buildings or in any kind of a rough 
box put up for it. In dead stubs at the edge of the prairie bluffs or in old 
flicker-holes in telegraph poles by the roadside. Even in the austere and 
repellant, raw-banked coulees of the wildest bad lands it can be found adapt- 
ing crannies in the rocks and cliffs to its use. Its only requirement seems 
to be nesting holes and it makes little difference where they are so long as 
they will shelter a nest. 
