The Blue Birds of Pennsylvania – Chipper Birds

The Blue Birds of Pennsylvania is a children’s book about two blue birds who leave their home in Pennsylvania to find a better place to live. The birds travel south, but they are not happy with the warm weather and the lack of food. They eventually return to Pennsylvania, where they are happy to be back home.

Amazing Blue Birds In Pennsylvania

American Robin: These birds are best known for their bright red breast, although they can also be seen in gray or brown. Robins can be found in most of Pennsylvania’s woodlands and backyards.

Eastern Bluebird: This small bird is a welcome sight to many Pennsylvania gardeners, who appreciate its beautiful blue plumage and love of insects.

Cedar Waxwing: These birds have sleek bodies and striking yellow tail feathers. They can be found in deciduous forests or suburban backyards during the summer months.

Baltimore Oriole: The Baltimore oriole is Pennsylvania’s state bird, with its bright orange and black plumage easily recognizable These birds can be found near open fields, orchards, and yards.

Red-bellied Woodpecker: This small bird is easily identified by its bright red head and white stripes. It prefers mature forests and woodlands, but it can also be found in parks and suburban areas of Pennsylvania.

Scarlet Tanager: This colorful songbird is easy to spot in the summer, with its bright red feathers and black wings. It can be found in deciduous forests throughout Pennsylvania.

Indigo Bunting: These birds are a sight to behold, with their stunning blue coloration that stands out against green foliage. They can often be seen perching on wires or in trees and bushes throughout Pennsylvania.

Great Crested Flycatcher: These birds are easily spotted by their distinctive flycatching behavior, as they swoop down to snatch flying insects out of the air. They can be found in mature woodlands throughout Pennsylvania.

Wood Duck: This beautiful duck is often seen on ponds and rivers in Pennsylvania. It has a colorful plumage of brown, green, and white feathers and is easily identified by its long tail and crest.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo: This elusive bird can be found in wooded areas throughout Pennsylvania, where it makes its distinctive “kuk-kuk” call. It has grayish-brown feathers with a yellow bill, and it feeds on insects.

Eastern Phoebe: These birds are common in Pennsylvania, where they feed on insects and may be seen perched on fence posts or wires. They have grayish-brown plumage and white wing bars.

American Goldfinch: This is one of the most colorful birds in Pennsylvania, with its bright yellow feathers and black wings. It is commonly seen feeding on seeds in gardens or meadows throughout the state.

Eastern Towhee: This bird has a distinct call of “drink-your-tee” and can be found in thickets and scrubby areas throughout Pennsylvania. It is easily identified by its black and white plumage with a red eye ring.

Chimney Swift: These birds can be seen flying in flocks over buildings or rooftops throughout Pennsylvania. They have long, thin wings and their flight is characterized by rapid wing beats.

Eastern Kingbird: This bird has a distinctive crest and can be seen perched on utility wires or trees throughout Pennsylvania. It is grayish-brown in color with a white belly and wings.

Brown Thrasher: This bird is easily recognized by its loud “tee-wee” call and its long, curved bill. It can be found in shrubby areas and gardens throughout Pennsylvania.

Northern Flicker: This bird is easily spotted by its distinctive “wick-er” call and its loud drumming on trees or posts. It has a brown back with black spots and a white breast with black barring.

Pileated Woodpecker: These large birds can be seen in woodlands throughout Pennsylvania, where they make their distinctive “kee-kee-Kik” call. They have a black body and white stripes, with a red crest on the head.

Cooper’s Hawk: This hawk is easily identified by its long tail and barred chest. It can be found in woodlands throughout Pennsylvania where it feeds on small birds and rodents.

Broad-winged Hawk: This small hawk is common throughout Pennsylvania and can be seen soaring over meadows or fields during the summer months. It has a dark brown back with a white belly and broad wings.

Tree Swallows

Tree Swallows are blue birds with bright violet-blue wings, a slightly forked tail, and a light, even bill. They nest in bluebird boxes oftentimes in the state of Pennsylvania. Tree Swallows have territorial behavior and will defend their nests from other birds.

On warm summer days, you can find tree swallows flying around looking for insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and bugs. In addition to catching food on the wing, they often soar at high altitudes scanning the land below them for food. When singing they will sweep over their nesting area creating beautiful scenes of graceful aerobatic displays.

Purple Martin

The purple martin is a blue bird native to North America, and primarily found in Pennsylvania. They are unique among bluebirds because they migrate long distances between their nesting grounds in the summer and their winter homes in the south of Brazil.

A species of swift, they fly up to 40 miles per hour when migrating and at 38 inches long, have the largest wingspan of any blue North American bluebird.

While no longer endangered, their population has decreased by 41% over the last 20 years, mainly due to competition from bluebirds. Thankfully conservation efforts have been successful and their numbers have begun to slowly rise again.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

The blue-bellied beauty of the Red-breasted Nuthatch is a welcomed sight in Pennsylvania’s woodlands and forests. These tiny birds have an elongated bill designed for extracting seeds and insects from under tree bark; they even use this bill to pry open pine cone scales to get at the nutritious seeds inside! As a songbird, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is also quite vocal, with its recognizably nasal ‘yank’ call echoing through the trees.

During cold winter months, these birds flock close together to actively search for food and keep each other warm through shared body heat.

Oftentimes bluebirds will join them in their ventures up trees, across branches, and along trunks as they move around the forest looking for provisions.

So if you find yourself hiking around Pennsylvania, be sure to keep your eyes peeled; you may just stumble across one of these feathered friends as they go about their day!

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is a majestic blue bird found across Pennsylvania. Each winter, these salty blue birds head down to our area for a mild climate and fewer predators.

Spending both night and day searching for their favorite meal, fish, blue heron have even learned to fish in some of the more populated areas of the Keystone State.

They stand tall on stilt-like legs, surveying their surroundings before plunging boldly into the water for a quick meal. These majestic blue birds currently occur in eight counties across Pennsylvania and are an outstanding sight to behold when encountered!

Habitat requirements

Bluebirds in Pennsylvania need access to a variety of habitats to succeed and thrive. Not just one type of habitat is adequate, blue birds can find food, shelter, and suitable nesting sites in successively larger areas comprised of different landscapes.

For example, bluebirds may nest in shrubby areas along gardens, open fields, and woodlands for foraging and shelter.

To remain happy and healthy bluebirds must be able to move freely to find the items their habitat has to offer such as water, insects, buds of trees and vines, berries, and protective perches from predators.

Picking multiple habitats to live in is not only beneficial for bluebirds but also helps them when things like food sources are running low in one area allowing them to access resources from more diverse ones with more readily available resources.

Bluebird Box Design

Bluebirds are a beautiful and popular sight in Pennsylvania, especially on summer afternoons. Watching blue bluebirds flitting back and forth among the trees is one of the joys of spending time outdoors.

However, due to the loss of suitable nesting spots, bluebird numbers have been decreasing.

Building bluebird boxes is a great way to provide bluebirds with safe and secure habitats, giving them more opportunities to avoid predators and find food.

Carefully designed boxes should have an opening that bluebirds can use easily but that keeps out other birds like sparrows who have been known to take over bluebird nests.

The box size should also be taken into account, as too small of a box can limit the blue birds’ ability to raise their young or lay eggs comfortably. With the right box design, people can help increase bluebird numbers in Pennsylvania by providing convenient nesting spots for these beautiful birds.

Conclusion

The Red-breasted Nuthatch, Great Blue Heron, and Bluebirds all have unique needs to survive in Pennsylvania. However, with the right habitat requirements, careful box design, and a dedicated effort from people to help provide for their survival these birds can continue to thrive in the Keystone State.

From calling out ‘yank-yank-yank’ in the early morning to soaring gracefully across the sky, these birds provide us with beauty, song, and a reminder of the importance of conserving and protecting our natural environment.

So whether you are taking an early morning walk through a Pennsylvania forest or simply admiring bluebirds from your window sill, remember to take a moment and appreciate the incredible feathered friends that make Pennsylvania their home!

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