Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific

by Charles K. Reed

WHEATEAR.

765. Saxicola ænanthe. 6 inches.

Range.—Alaska and accidental in Colorado, breeding in Asia. They nest in crevices of cliffs or in stone walls, building a rude nest of sticks and weeds, lined with hair and feathers. Their four or five eggs are a pale greenish blue (.90 × .60).

WESTERN BLUEBIRD.

767. Sialia mexicana occidentalis. 7 inches.

Range.—British Columbia to Lower California, along the Pacific coast. These familiar birds build in cavities in trees, or in bird houses, and make themselves at home near dwellings, especially if in the vicinity of orchards of any kind. The note of the western bird has the same familiar warble as their eastern relative. They live on small insects and caterpillars, and some of the small berries. Their four eggs are a pale bluish white (.80 × .60).

CHESTNUT-BACKED BLUEBIRD.

767a. Sialia mexicana bairdi. 7 inches.

Range.—Rocky Mountains from Colorado to Texas (not illustrated).