 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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-3.89 (-5.28 - -2.55)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The first glimpse of blue wings flashing against sparkling white snow-covered fields is a welcome portent of spring. The arrival of the Mountain Bluebird, often preceded only by the Horned Lark and American Crow, is a certain promise that the snow will soon disappear from the western plains (Houston 1977c). Breeds in the western mountains from Alaska to Arizona east onto the Great Plains and winters in the southwest US and northern Mexico.
Mountain Bluebirds are found in habitats with open grassy areas for feeding interspersed with groves of trees with cavities for nesting. Aspen Parkland in Saskatchewan is the favored breeding habitat in the province. Nest boxes are readily used allowing nesting in areas with less or smaller trees.
The Mountain Bluebird is not an abundant bird over most of its wide Saskatchewan range, which extends as far north as Cluff and Wollaston Lakes. In both the Boreal Forest and the Grasslands it is uncommon and local. In the Parklands, the heart of its range, it is only locally common (Smith 1996). Before European settlement, this species was rare even in migration. No explanation is apparent for the recent widespread declines, especially severe since 2011.
Original text by Mary I. Houston. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Mountain Bluebird in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Mountain Bluebird in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=MOBL&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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