Bird Identification

Indigo Bunting

Passerina cyanea L 5 ½" (14cm)

Photo by Maslowski Wildlife Productions. Listen to an indigo bunting.

The sister species of the western lazuli bunting, the indigo is common throughout the eastern part of the US and extreme southern Canada and in parts of the Southwest. The males are a deep, rich blue and, except in good light, appear black in the field. They are found in a variety of habitats but especially edges, including roadsides and wood margins where there are brushy and weedy areas. They are also common in old orchards and overgrown fields if there are singing perches. The song has a warbling quality and consists in large measure of paired phrases. The rhythm has been likened to a litany of complaints by some observers, accounting for its being called "indignant bunting" at times. It is one of the few birds that will sing persistently throughout the hottest days of midsummer and by the end of the breeding season the song is truncated, often consisting of no more than three or four notes. The most common call is a dry chick, less metallic and softer than that of blue grosbeak.