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The Eastern Bluebird is an uncommon inhabitant of the open habitats of southern and eastern Canada, from Manitoba to the Maritime provinces. Populations are well monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey which shows a large increase since about 1970. Man-made nest box trails have likely contributed to the increase in population (Gowaty and Plissner 1998).
Eastern Bluebird populations benefited from forest clearing during the European settlement period and remain higher today than any other time (Gowaty and Plissner 1998). Competition with other hole-nesting species, such as European Starling and House Sparrow, are likely related to reduced breeding success in some areas. However, nest box programs beginning in the 1960s have provided alternative breeding cavities and have reduced the negative effects of competition (Gowaty and Plissner 1998). This species is vulnerable to very cold weather. Population drops are known to occur in response to ice storms in its winter range and cold, snowy springs (Gowaty and Plissner 1998). The Eastern Bluebird is one of the species considered potentially vulnerable to cat predation (Blancher 2013).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.