Bluebird (Eastern Bluebird)

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Eastern Bluebird

Zoo Tek Phoenix

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Author: Genki

Keywords: real birds

Date Released: Oct 31 2009

Current gcEastrnBluebird.ztd dated 11 September 2009

Size: N/A

Compatibility: All Game Versions

Description: Part of American Robin & Eastern Bluebird pack

These Birds are 100% Compatible with the American Robin and with the in-game black bear.

The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a medium-sized thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards, and most recently can be spotted in surburban areas. It is the state bird of Missouri and New York.

Adults have a white belly. Adult males are bright blue on top and have a reddish brown throat and breast. Adult females have lighter blue wings and tail, a brownish throat and breast and a grey crown and back. Eastern Bluebirds are found east of the Rockies, southern Canada to the Gulf States and southeastern Arizona to Nicaragua.

The bright blue breeding plumage of the male, easily observed on a wire or open perch, fluttering down to the mowed grass to capture a grasshopper, cricket or beetle makes this species a favorite of birders. The male's call includes sometimes soft warbles of jeew or chir-wi or the melodious song chiti WEEW wewidoo (Sibley, 2000).

Conservation status

The population of the Eastern Bluebird declined seriously enough in the past century to reach critical status by the mid-1900s. The decline was due to:

1. Habitat destruction (loss of fields and nesting cavities in split-rail fences; clearing of dead trees)
2. Pesticide use
3. Nest predation by House Sparrows and European Starlings; both of which are non-native, introduced species.

The species was rescued by a network of birding enthusiasts who erected nesting boxes for Bluebirds, with close monitoring necessary to prevent House Sparrows from nesting in them. They remain thoughtful of conservation, however, with competition still prevalent from other species (e.g. Tree Swallows, which are a native species and which also nest in cavities) and in certain states of the US they can still be difficult to spot. It is worth noting that due to the increase in their numbers in the past few decades, they are not protected under CITES or U.S. Endangered Species Act.

The Bluebird is the state bird of Missouri and New York.

The Eastern Bluebird is also found in Bermuda, where the population may constitute a sub-species. Bermuda Bluebirds have become endangered by the loss of 8 million Bermuda cedar trees in the 1940s, and by nest predation from introduced Sparrows, Starlings, and Kiskadees. Kiskadees, introduced in 1957, have also contributed to declines of other species, such as the Cardinal and the Catbird. In 1987, Hurricane Emily destroyed much of Bermuda's forest habitat, adversely affecting the Bluebird and other tree-dependent species.

Food

Approximately two-thirds of the diet of an adult eastern bluebird consists of insects and other invertebrates. The remainder of the bird's diet is made up of wild fruits. Favored insect foods include grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and beetles. Other food items include earthworms, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, sow bugs, and snails. Fruits are especially important when insects are scarce in the winter months. Some preferred winter food sources include dogwood, hawthorn, wild grape, and sumac and hackberry seeds. Supplemental fruits eaten include blackberries, bayberries, fruit of honeysuckle, Virginia creeper, Eastern Juniper, and pokeberries. Bluebirds feed by perching on a high point, such as a branch or fence post, and swooping down to catch insects on or near the ground. The availability of a winter food source will often determine whether or not a bird will migrate. If bluebirds do remain in a region for the winter, they will group and seek cover in heavy thickets, orchards, or other areas in which adequate food and cover resources are available.

Source: Wikipedia

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Additional info:

gcEastrnBluebird.ztd       Eastern Bluebird          uca: 44455057 dated 11 September 2009

Results From Configuration Checking:

44455057.uca date: Fri Sep 11 19:22:50 2009
No Errors or Warnings to show.
Animal Type: 44455057

Eastern Bluebird

The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a medium-sized thrush found in open
woodlands, farmlands and orchards, and most recently can be spotted in
surburban areas. It is the state bird of Missouri and New York.
    (plus 13 other paragraphs)

Animal Characteristics:

Habitat: Deciduous Forest; Location: North America
Minimum happiness needed for chance of breeding: 90.
Preferred shelter: Rock Cave.
Animal can swim in water terrain.
Animal can jump.

Exhibit Preferences:

Foliage:
Elm Tree, Pacific Dogwood Tree, Cherry Tree, Lodgepole Pine Tree, Maple Tree
Fir Tree, Pine Tree, Yew Tree, Birch Tree, Spruce Tree, Yellow Cedar Tree
Trembling Aspen Tree, Weeping Willow Tree, White Oak Tree
Western Red Cedar Tree, Chinese Fir Tree, Broadleaf Bush, Pine Bush
Club Moss Shrub (DD), Walchian Conifer Tree (DD), Dawn Redwood Tree (DD)
Gingko Tree (DD), Glossopteris Tree (DD), Lepidodendron Tree (DD)
Magnolia Tree (DD), Monkey Puzzle Tree (DD), Norfolk Island Pine Tree (DD)
Bonsai (CC), Snowbell Tree (CC)

Rocks:
Large Rock, Small Rock - Medium, Small Rock - Small
Deciduous Forest Rock - Formation, Coniferous Forest Rock - Formation
Medium Coniferous Rock (DD)

Exhibit Construction:

Number of animals allowed per exhibit: 3-33 with 3 squares for each adult.

Exhibit size (for 3 adults): 9 grid squares

Terrain (for exhibit with 9 grid squares):
6 Deciduous Floor, 0 Fresh Water, 0 Grass, 3 Coniferous Floor

Foliage (for exhibit with 9 grid squares):
2 grid squares should contain foliage.
Foliage that would give the most happiness: Birch Tree
Since this is a small plant, greatest happiness will occur
if each of the 2 grid squares contains 4 of this plant.

Rocks (for exhibit with 9 grid squares):
3 Small Rock - Small, which is its most liked rock.

Elevation: Of the 9 squares, 0 nonadjacent squares should be elevated.