This bluebird is 5½ to 7 inches long, and the male has a distinctive blue back and head and a rust-colored throat and upper breast. The coloring is less pronounced in females, while the juvenile is spotted like a thrush. All have a white eye-ring. Bluebirds also have a characteristic hunched posture when perched.

Bluebird diet consists mostly of insects, which they catch by dropping to the ground from their perch. They also eat berries in fall and winter. Their song is a melodious warble or whistle.