Royal Blue Bird With Rust and White Chest
Inside: This article is a complete list of blue birds with an orange chest or orange belly along with a full-color photo of each bird, details about habitat, diet, appearance, nesting habits, and a range map to show you where you may see them.
You spotted a blue bird with an orange chest or an orange belly, but what species is it? There are only a few blue-colored birds with orange underneath so accurately identifying them shouldn't be difficult. Especially with this handy and complete list of blue birds and orange chests or bellies!
With more than 20 years of experience attracting backyard birds to my yard (Wisconsin), I've studied all of the blue-colored orange-chested birds in my area so I have the information you're looking for. For the remaining bird species, I rely on my trusty sourcebooks and friends at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology to guide me.
This article includes the species of wild birds blue in color with some degree of orange or shade of orange on its chest or belly area. It may be a splash of orange or the entire underparts orange. The bird may even be bright orange, dull orange, rusty/orange … regardless, the bird is blue with some shade or orange underneath.
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 beautiful photo to help you identify these blue & orange beauties along with detail such as:
- Size + appearance description
- Diet in the wild and at the feeder
- Habitat
- Nest & eggs description
- Range map
So let's get at it, here are the blue-colored birds with orange chests or bellies in the US and Canada.
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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, andmore: check out 7 Ways to Attract Red Breasted Nuthatches to Your Yard.
| Appearance | Small bird 7″ long, deep blue underparts, orange-chestnut back and breast. Female gray/blue, light blue wings and tail, and pale chestnut breast. |
| Diet | Insects, fruits & berries. |
| Feeder Food | Mealworms |
| Habitat | Open woodlands especially those with pines and oaks, orchards, and farmland with some trees. |
| Nesting | Nest: Cavity nesters – old woodpecker hold or manmade nesting box. Brood: 2 broods/season Clutch: 4-5 eggs/brood Egg color: Pale blue without blemishes, although sometimes are white Egg size: Length: 0.8-2.4″ x Width: .8″ Incubation: 12-18 days and young fledge at about 20 days. |
Range Map
Hopefully, you've identified the blue bird with an orange in this article or just broadened your knowledge of these birds. If you want to see more the complete list of blue birds in the US and Canada, check out my article Blue Birds in the US & Canada.
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Source: https://www.onthefeeder.com/blue-birds-orange-chests/
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