Male and Female

Description

Size:  7.25”

Plumage/Description:  Male plumage is an overall sky-blue color, with a white belly and under-tail coverts.  Females are similar in appearance to female Western Bluebirds, pale gray head, back, and belly.  The breast is a dull rusty color, wings and tail are a pale blue color.

Habitat:   Grassland, Oak/Chaparral, Pinyon/Juniper

Time of year:  Winter at lower elevations, summer at higher elevations

Relative Abundance:  Common in proper habitat

Behavior:  A flocking species that winters in habitats that are fairly open, where the trees are more scattered and not heavily forested.  A breeding species in northern Arizona such as in the Flagstaff area.

Diet:   Insects, berries, fruit

Similar species:  Western Bluebird

Best Sites:  In winter take Perkinsville Road in Chino Valley to the grasslands east of town, also grasslands north of Prescott Valley in winter, Poquito Valley, Lonesome Valley