Brian Selsor, age 14, of St. Louis, Missouri for his question:
How long does it take bluebirds to hatch?
Surely the American bluebird must be the true Bluebird of Happiness. In which case, no wonder the pretty, well mannered creature got himself elected to high honor not once, but twice. The bluebird has been adopted as the official state bird of both Missouri and New York. And, with luck, a couple of bluebird parents may raise a dozen baby bluebirds during a single summer.
A century ago, bluebirds were more common around homes than they are today. Many were. driven away by invasions of rowdy house sparrows and aggressive starlings. Some stayed in farmhouse orchards and some have been coaxed to live in bird houses made especially for them. Since they are bothered by starlings, the trick is to make the bird house large enough to admit a bluebird and too small for a starling. A suitable round hole measures one and a half inches wide.
Bluebirds may be permanent residents in the Saint Louis area and those that migrate return in early March. Normally they nest in tree hollows, maybe in those deserted by woodpeckers. But if you build them a small tree house, they will be very happy to nest in your yard ¬where you can watch the proceedings.
When the new tenants move in, they gather grasses, bits of hair, rootlets and stray feathers to line the inside of the nest. The female lays four to six pale blue eggs, almost an inch long. These are private property, remember, and very precious. So it's not fair to peek inside. After two weeks, the eggs will hatch and soon you will have plenty of evidence that the hungry chicks have arrived.
The parent birds are kept busy toting home groceries to feed them. The menu includes beetles, weevils, grasshoppers and other assorted insects. Later their menus will include holly berries and various wild fruits. But throughout life, three quarters of a bluebird's diet is insect meat, especially the pesky insects that raid our crops and gardens.
The baby bluebirds are ready to fly away after just a few weeks. You would think that the weary parents are ready for a rest. But usually they start another brood in the same nest, almost right away. This gives them time to raise two broods, perhaps a dozen chicks, during the summer season.
Several of our native birds wear blues but there is no mistaking the genuine bluebird. He has a white tummy and a reddish breast. Like the American Flag, he wears red, white and blue. The western bluebird has a rusty brown shoulder shawl and the blue tucks under his chin. His underside has the red and the white.
In many parts of North America, bluebirds are permanent year round dwellers. Most of those that migrate fly only as far as the southern United States. The western bluebirds often migrate very short distances between the high mountain slopes and the sheltered valleys. And, wherever they live they are charming, well behaved neighbors.