Decisive Bluebird Houses
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios

The Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) is a beautiful, docile, long-winged thrush endowed with a brilliant blue color. By 1950s, the bluebird population had declined by approximately ninety percent due to heavy land encroachment and extensive use of pesticides. Agent Smith, a fictional character featured in the Matrix film series, compared human beings to a virus, a disease organism, a cancer and plague of this planet who replicate uncontrollably until every natural resource gets consumed and surrounding environment is destroyed. Fortunately, we humans are proving him wrong by saturating the landscape with bluebird houses and increasing the public's awareness of the plight of these birds.

Birdhouses can provide a safe haven for endangered species faced with possible extinction. Thanks to the persistent efforts of bluebird enthusiasts who extensively deployed networks of bluebird houses throughout the country, numbers have rebounded and the Bluebird is once again a common sight in most parts of the country. Bluebirds, being cavity nesters, readily accepted these nest boxes, and probably ninety percent of all bluebirds now dwell in these artificial cavities or man-made structures. The population of Mountain Bluebirds now appears to be relatively stable.

The selection of a proper habitat for mounting bluebird houses is crucial. These birds thrive in open areas with few scattered trees. Bluebirds rarely nest in wooded areas and urban areas. Instead they prefer dwelling along the outer fringes of a forest or in an open clearing. Bluebirds will nest in birdhouses perched at almost any height, but very low placement increases the risks of predators, whereas very high placement attracts house sparrows. House sparrows, even though an even match, are much more aggressive and sometimes kill bluebirds, usually pecking through the front of the skull. On the whole, the ideal height for bluebird houses is about seven feet above the ground. Although bluebirds nest as solitary pairs, a lesser-known fact about Bluebird mating habits reveals that monogamy is not always the rule. Either sex may be polygamous if given the chance. Consequently their nests can be found near each other.

Today, most of the Bluebirds nest in artificial houses or nest boxes, provided by humans. So help out by setting out more bluebird houses in areas of suitable habitat.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.