By Brainard Palmer-Ball Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. While the male is a stunning blue, his mate is a plain-Jane. More information. Kentucky is a great place to watch and feed birds. More information. During spring and summer, the fast, rolling song of the Kentucky Warbler comes from the undergrowth of eastern forests. Kentucky’s Spectacular Songbirds. This species is often found in small flocks when not breeding. More information. Official State Bird of Kentucky. This bird spends most of its time on the ground in moist, leafy woodlands, walking on the leaf-litter under thickets as it searches for insects. The northern cardinal is the state bird of 7 states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia). Consult our bird identification guide to ID mystery birds in the backyard and beyond. Despite its bright colors, it can be surprisingly hard to see in the shadows of the deep forest interior. You then can choose the information on life history or species observations by county/quad from the species list. People also love these ideas. At home in the forest, they also thrive in suburban habitats and are often unfairly (or, okay, fairly) regarded as feeder bullies . In Central America, it is a highland bird, but elsewhere in its range it can occur from the lowlands to an altitude of 4,000 m (13,000 ft). Female is gray overall with blue wings, rump, and tail. Mountain Bluebird: Small thrush with brilliant blue back, head, and wings. Similar ideas. With Stan Tekiela’s famous field guide, bird identification is simple and informative. Species names will be listed that contain that word. Different individuals of the same bird species may vary slightly in size, but that variation is so small that birdhouse hole sizes can be made to standard dimensions without difficulty. Birdbaths, misters and drippers are especially effective in attracting birds, including non seed-eating species. Of the more than 350 species of birds that have been reported from Kentucky, almost half are members of the order Passeriformes, often referred to as the perching birds or songbirds. These basic entrance sizes can help attract just the types of birds you want to become backyard residents. This handsome little finch, the state bird of New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington, is welcome and common at feeders, where it takes primarily sunflower and nyjer. More information. And if you live in just the right habitat, near open fields with brushy areas, you be lucky enough to also enjoy another blue-colored bird in the yard: Blue Grosbeak. Food and Feeder Preferences of Common Feeder Birds. There’s no need to look through dozens of photos of birds that don’t live in your area. The blue-and-white swallow subsists primarily on a diet of insects, caught in the air; they have been seen to gather where termites swarm. The Kentucky Bluebird Society was organized to foster the return and perpetuation of the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) and other native cavity-nesting birds in Kentucky.