bird · GBIF taxon 2490327
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyaneaAlso known as Indigo Bird, Blue Canary
Breeding male indigo buntings display a brilliant, jewel-like blue plumage that is actually an optical illusion created by the microscopic structure of their feathers reflecting light. Females and non-breeding males are a warm, inconspicuous brown with faint streaking, allowing them to remain hidden while nesting in dense brush. During spring and autumn nights, these small songbirds navigate vast distances across the Americas by reading the patterns of the stars.
MigratoryVocalColorful
- diet
- Seeds, insects, and wild berries
- family
- Cardinalidae
- threats
- Habitat loss, window collisions during nocturnal migration, and domestic cats
- life Span
- 3 to 8 years
LC
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- Feeder setup: Offer thistle, nyjer, or white millet in tube feeders during spring migration.
- Listening: Listen for their rapid, paired-note song delivered from high, open perches.
- Observation: Look along brushy fence lines and overgrown fields where they forage.