Bird Watching: DAILY PICS VOL 247, 1 by 2dCousinDave

2dCousinDave wrote:
Meth: I have been away and didn't see your question until now.

The Western Bluebird looks very much like the Eastern. The most obvious difference is seen at the throat of the males. While the Eastern has rust colored feathers extending from the chest to the chin, the Western male is blue all the way around from the shoulders up. He usually has a small patch of brown on his back, between the shoulder blades, although it is not visable on any of your shots. The female's markings are very similar to that of the Eastern female, but she obviously has a more bluish hue to her wing and back feathers.

The color of the Western male is usually a more vivid blue, as seen in your photos. While we occasionally see an Eastern with similar bright blue feathers, it is the exception, at least in my experience. Here is a side-by-side comparison, using one of your shots and one I took today.