On May 9, 1997, John Cavitt, a graduate student in the Biology Division at Kansas State University, found an unusual bluebird pair nesting along Shane Creek on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area. A male mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) and a female eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) were feeding nestlings together. On May 16, 1997 I took these pictures. The nestlings fledged approximately a week later.

 UPDATE - June 10
Dad (the mountain bluebird) was still feeding begging fledglings last week, but will probably not be doing that much longer. He and the female eastern bluebird are still paired, and are re-nesting in another bluebird box about 200 yds away from the previous site. Further details will be reported as they become available.

 Hybridization between these two species has been previously documented in Manitoba, where the breeding ranges overlap. Previous breeding evidence for mountain bluebirds in Kansas consist of an observation of a juvenile bird in June 1911 in Hamilton County (along the KS-CO border and approximately 300 mi from Manhattan KS) and four fledged young in Wallace County (also along the KS-CO border) in June 1986.

 bluebird pair

 nestlings 

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