Inside: The complete list of blue birds (blue colored birds) in Arizona including a full-color photo of each blue bird, details about their habitat, diet, appearance, nesting habits, and a range map to show you where in the state you may see them.
There’s something about spotting a blue bird (a blue-colored bird to be more exact) in your yard that gets your heart pumping. Luckily there are plenty of types of blue-colored birds across Arizona so your chances of seeing one are very good.
With more than 20 years of experience attracting backyard birds to my yard I’ve seen every blue-colored bird species in my area (Wisconsin) and acquired a lot of knowledge about these blue birds. For those species that are outside my area, I have my trusty sourcebooks and friends at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology to guide me.
I’ll never forget my first blue-colored bird spotting – which I later learned was an Indigo Bunting! You’d have thought I’d seen Elvis in my backyard. I screamed “blue bird, blue bird” and ran around my house like a lunatic looking for my camera. It was still there when I returned, but not for long. I looked him up in my guide book and there he was in all his royal blue glory. Breathtaking.
My hope is that you’ll be able to easily identify the blue bird you saw or plan to see in my article. Here you’ll find all types of wild blue birds (species) found in Arizona. They could be all blue or blue with a secondary color. They could be tiny blue birds, small blue birds, large blue birds, bright blue birds, dark blue birds, and light blue birds – all variations are here!
The range maps are color-coded so you know if it’s a year-round bird, there to breed, migrating through, or there during a nonbreeding time.
I also included a closeup photo of each blue bird to help you identify them quickly along with detail about them such as:
- Size & appearance description
- Diet in the wild and at the bird feeder
- Habitat
- Nest & eggs description
So let’s get at it, here are the blue-colored birds in Arizona.
Table of Contents
Barn Swallow
| Appearance | 7″ long, steel blue glossy on top, chestnut forehead and throat, and rust-orange underparts. Long forked tail with a white base. The female’s coloring is lighter and the tail shorter. |
| Diet | Insects, preferably beetles, wasps, and flies. Drinks by skimming the surface of the water. |
| Feeder Food | Not likely to visit a feeder. |
| Habitat | Open fields and pastures. |
| Nesting | Typically nests in or on a manmade structure such as a barn. Builds nests of mud. 2 broods/season, 4-5 eggs per brood, eggs are white with brown markings, incubation from 13-17 days. |
Range Map
Belted Kingfisher
| Appearance | Large 13″ long bird with a large head, long bill, and stocky body. Blue/gray throughout with white ring around neck and white chest. Female is same but with additional chestnut band on chest. |
| Diet | Mostly fish with some crustaceans, insects, amphibians, reptiles, young birds, small mammals, and berries. |
| Feeder Food | Unlikely to come to the feeder but often attracted to yards with streams or ponds. |
| Habitat | Near streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and calm marine waters – especially unclouded water with little vegetation. |
| Nesting | Dig burrows along waters edge. 1-2 broods/season, 5-8 eggs/brood – large white glossy eggs (1.5″ long), 22-24 days incubation. |
Range Map
Blue Grosbeak
| Appearance | 8″ long, large, bright blue, large silver bill, and chestnut wingbars, Female’s primary color is light cinnamon with darker colored wings. |
| Diet | Insects, seeds, and grains. |
| Feeder Food | Grain and birdseed. |
| Habitat | Thick shrubbery and areas with tall trees. |
| Nesting | Nest: Small cup-shaped nest of twigs and miscellaneous organic materials resting in low-lying trees, shrubs, and bushes. Brood: 1-2 broods/season Clutch: 3-5 eggs/brood Egg color: Pale blue to white with occasional brown spots Egg size: 0.8 inches by 0.7 inches Incubation: 12-13 days incubation. |
Range Map
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
| Appearance | Tiny birds 4.25″ long, soft blue/gray upperparts, white eye-rings, white underparts, long black long tail with white under. Females are the same. The breeding male is accented with narrow black eyebrows. |
| Diet | Insects and spiders. |
| Feeder Food | Unlikely to visit the feeder. |
| Habitat | Deciduous forested areas. |
| Nesting | Nest: Tidy cup-shaped nest of natural fibers, bark, and spiderweb about 3-80′ high in a tree or shrub. Broods: 1-2 broods/season Clutch: 3-5 eggs/brood Egg color: Pale blue with red/brown spots. Egg size: 0.5 – 0.6 inches by 0.4 – 0.5 inches Incubation: 11-15 days and the young fledge at about 10-15 days. |
Range Map
Eastern Bluebird
| Appearance | 7″ long, royal blue, orange throat & breast, white belly & undertail. Female is similar but more muted colors |
| Diet | Insects & spiders in spring/summer. Small fruit in Fall/Winter. |
| Feeder Food | Suet, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, jelly. |
| Habitat | Wide-open spaces, fields, meadow. |
| Nesting | Nest: Cavity nesters. The male bluebird determines the nest site (an old woodpecker hole in a tree or manmade nestbox), but the female is the one who builds the nest. She keeps the nest for multiple broods. Brood: 2-7 broods/season Clutch: 4-5 eggs/brood Egg color: Pale blue eggs (sometimes white) with no blemishes or discoloration. Egg size: 0.9 inches by 0.8 inches Incubation: 11-19 days |
Range Map
Lazuli Bunting
| Appearance | Small bird 5-6″ long, brilliant blue on top, soft orange-cinnamon color chest, white belly and patch on the shoulder, cone-shaped bill, and slightly flat forehead. |
| Diet | Insects, fruits, and grasses. |
| Feeder Food | White proso millet, sunflower seeds, or nyjer thistle seeds. |
| Habitat | Open woodlands, brushy hillsides, thickets, and backyards throughout the West. |
| Nesting | Cup-shaped nest of bark, twigs, and leaves nestled in a shrub about 3′ up. They have 1-2 broods/season, 3-4 eggs/brood, and eggs are .7-.8″ long and pale blue to faint green/blue or white. 11-14 days incubation period. |
Range Map
Mexican Jay
| Appearance | 11.5″ long, large blue bird with gray/blue back, soft white underparts and long tail. |
| Diet | Acorns, pinyon nuts, insects, spiders and lizards. |
| Feeder Food | N/A |
| Habitat | Open woodlands near pinyon and oak trees. |
| Nesting | Cup-shaped nest of twigs located tree. 1-6 eggs, eggs are green with dark markings but some have no markings. |
Range Map
Mountain Bluebird
| Appearance | Small bird about 7″ long. Sky-blue color, darker blue wings and tail, lighter shades of below underneath, white undertail with black wing tips, and straight thin bill. Females are gray/brown with a big of soft blue on their wings and tail. |
| Diet | Insects, fruit, and seeds. |
| Feeder Food | Unlikely to visit a feeder. |
| Habitat | Open woodlands, fields, prairies. |
| Nesting | Nest: Cavity nesters – will use an old woodpecker hold or manmade nesting box. Brood: 1-2 broods/season Clutch: 4-8 eggs/brood Egg size: 1″ x .8″ Egg color: Pale blue to bluish-white (rarely pure white) Incubation: 18-21 days |
Range Map
Pinyon Jay
| Appearance | 10-11″ long bird, dusty blue body and lighter blue belly and throat, short tail, and no crown. The female looks similar. |
| Diet | Primarily Pinyon-pine seeds, acorns, fruit, and grains. Also consumes insects, lizards, snakes, nestling birds, and small mammals. |
| Feeder Food | Whole peanuts, sunflower seeds, suet, cracked corn. |
| Habitat | Forested areas comprised of Pinyon-juniper, sagebrush, scrub oak, and other pine trees. |
| Nesting | Large bulky nests of sticks and twigs in the trees about 3-115′ up. 1 brood/season, 2-5 eggs/brood, eggs are 1.3-1.5″ long, pale blue with dark brown specks, incubation last 17 days and young fledge between 21-22 days. |
Range Map
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
| Appearance | 4.5″ long, gray/blue backs, white head with black stripes running over either eye, orange-cinnamon-colored breast, and a pointy pick-like beak. Females look the same except their underside is a more faded color. Usually spotted climbing upside-down a deciduous tree foraging for insects beneath the bark. |
| Diet | Insects, spiders, and other bugs. |
| Feeder Food | Suet, sunflower seeds, shelled peanuts, fruit. |
| Habitat | Forested areas primarily comprised of coniferous trees (i.e. pines). Woodsy areas of deciduous trees in the east. Southern birds prefer mountainous regions until winter comes in which case they head to lower land. |
| Nesting | Cavity nesters – prefer to excavate their own holes. 1 brood/season, 6 eggs/brood, eggs are white & speckled with red-brown. |
Range Map
For more details about the Red-Breasted Nuthatch such as its mating & nesting details, how to attract them to your yard, and more: check out 7 Ways to Attract Red Breasted Nuthatches to Your Yard.
Rock Pigeon
| Appearance | Large bird 12-14″ long, chubby with blue/gray wings with black pointy tips, short red legs, black, round wide tail, and iridescent neck. |
| Diet | Grains, seeds, and fruit. Commonly seen scavenging trash cans for food. |
| Feeder Food | Millet, cracked corn, black-oil sunflower seed, safflower, peanut hearts. |
| Habitat | Common around cities and towns as well as farmlands |
| Nesting | A large nest of sticks and grass wherever there’s a ledge (e.g. highway overpass, barns, bridges, tall buildings). 1-6 broods/year, 1-3 eggs/brood, eggs are white, incubation about 18 days and the young fledge at about 25-32 days. |
Range Map
Stellar’s Jay
| Appearance | Large bird 11.5″ long, dark blue body and crest, black head and crest with spots of blue. Females are similar. |
| Diet | Nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, other birds’ eggs and nestlings, small animals. |
| Feeder Food | Whole peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. |
| Habitat | Typically found in forested areas of mix tree types – coniferous and deciduous. |
| Nesting | Large open-cup nest of twigs, bark and mud located high in a conifer tree. 1 brood/season, 4-5 eggs/brood, eggs are blue/green with dark brown/purple/olive spots, 16-18 days incubation and the young fledges at about 16-18 days. |
Range Map
Tree Swallow
| Appearance | 5-6″ long, dark metallic blue – blue/green with white belly, notched tail and pointed wing tips. Females have same coloring but a bit duller. |
| Diet | Insects and small fruits. |
| Feeder Food | Unlikely to visit a feeder. |
| Habitat | Open areas such as fields, large lawns, and marshes. |
| Nesting | Cavity nester, will use a manmade nest box or natural woodpecker tree hold. 1 brood/season, 4-6 white eggs, 13-16 days of incubation. |
Range Map
White-Breasted Nuthatch
| Appearance | 5-6″ long, gray/blue back, white head with a black cap, chestnut under the tail, and a long thin pick-like beak. Females look similar except their cap and neck are gray. Usually spotted climbing upside-down a deciduous tree foraging for insects beneath the bark. |
| Diet | Insects & seeds. |
| Feeder Food | Suet, sunflower seed, shelled peanuts. |
| Habitat | Near mature deciduous and mixed forests; wooded suburban areas such as orchards, parks, and backyards. |
| Nesting | Cavity nester, 1 brood/season, 5-9 eggs/brood, eggs are white with brown markings, incubation is 11-12 days and young fledge at about 13-14 days. |
Range Map
With so many blue-colored birds in Arizona it’s no surprise one caught your eye. Hopefully, you’ve identified the blue bird in this article or just broadened your knowledge of blue birds in Arizona! If you love that birds consider attracting more of them.
Happy Birding!
