Sialia sialis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) is a small North American migratory thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands, and orchards. The bright-blue breeding plumage of the male, easily observed on a wire or open perch, 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.
It is the state bird of Missouri and New York. The eastern bluebird was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Motacilla sialis. The type location is South Carolina. Linnaeus based his short Latin description on the earlier more detailed descriptions by the English naturalists Mark Catesby and George Edwards. The eastern bluebird is now placed in the genus Sialia that was introduced by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1827 with the eastern bluebird as the type species.
Seven subspecies are recognized: S. s... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 11 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 17 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Montreal Biodome | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Bluebird sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 2,099 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 173 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December and January
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Bluebird in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against about 30% in April to July, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Bluebird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Eastern Bluebird sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Turdidae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Bluebird that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Turdidae, Thrushes) are American Robin (about 60%), Wood Thrush (about 20%) and Hermit Thrush (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Bluebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (2,099 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
