title: Occurrence of twin embryos in the eastern bluebird.
abstract: We report the first record of presumed twinning in eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) and provide a review of previously reported twinning events in wild birds. A nest containing twin eastern bluebird nestlings was monitored in 2013 in central Pennsylvania and reported to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's NestWatch program, a national program where volunteers submit data on wild nesting birds. A presumed double-yolked egg of a free-living eastern bluebird pair hatched successfully, and twin nestlings lived for 11 days in a nest box shared by three siblings. Due to the rarity of twinning in wild birds, engaging the public to monitor large numbers of nests is the most likely approach to documenting twinning in wild populations, and citizen science provides the infrastructure for individuals to share observations.
authors.affiliation: Cornell Lab of Ornithology , Ithaca , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Robyn L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: Retired, State College , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Gerald E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Clark
keywords: Citizen science; Double-yolked egg; Eastern bluebird; Pennsylvania; Sialia sialis; Twinning