Sialia mexicana
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) is a small North American thrush. The western bluebird was formally described by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1832 and given the binomial name Sialia mexicana. Six subspecies are recognized:
The western bluebird is a small stocky bird with a length of 15 to 18 cm (5.9 to 7.1 in). The adult male is bright blue on top and on the throat with an orange breast and sides, a brownish patch on back, and a gray belly and undertail coverts. The adult female has a duller blue body, wings, and tail, a gray throat, a dull orange breast, and a gray belly and undertail coverts. Both sexes have a thin straight bill with a fairly short tail. Immature birds have duller colors than the adults, and have... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Bluebird sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 518 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 53rd most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to January
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Western Bluebird in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against about 10% in April and June–September, the lowest months. Those are among Yosemite National Park's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in September.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Bluebird sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Western Bluebird sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 50%), Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 40%) and Zion National Park (United States, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Bluebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Yosemite National Park (518 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.
