THE



Avicultural Magazine


THE JOURNAL OF THE

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY



Fifth Series .-—VoL II.— No. 9. —All rights reserved. SEPTEMBER, 1937.



SUCCESSFUL REARING OF THE WESTERN

BLUE BIRD


(Sialia mexicana)


By A. Ezra


There are three species of Blue Birds ( Sialis) in North America.

The Eastern Blue Bird (Sialia sialis) well known to aviculture, which

ranges all over the country east of the Bocky Mountains, migrating

south in winter (with local races in the south). The Western Blue

Bird (Sialia mexicana) of the Pacific States, and the Mountain Blue

Bird (Sialia currucoides), which inhabits the high mountains of the

west, and is quite a different looking bird. The Western Blue Bird

differs from his Eastern relative. His throat being blue instead of

reddish-brown, while a necklace of the same colour extends right

round the neck ; the blue parts of the plumage are also of a deeper

and brighter hue. The Western Blue Bird is rather common along

the coast of the Pacific State and British Columbia, and does not

migrate to any great extent, although it goes up to 10,000 feet in the

mountains. In its shape, habits, and voice, it is very similar to the

Eastern Blue Bird.


As far as I know, the Western Bluebird has never been imported

before, and those that I had were brought over by Mr. Delacour last



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