Species

Indigo bunting

Passerina cyanea

A small, electric-blue bunting that sings all summer long and migrates by the stars.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

Migration

At a glance

Size: About 12 to 13 cm long
Weight: About 12 to 18 g
Habitat: Woodland edges, old fields and roadsides
Diet: Insects in summer; seeds in winter
In Georgia: A common summer resident, April to October
Voice: Paired phrases: "fire-fire, where-where, here-here"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Brilliant blue all over
Female: Warm brown with faint streaks
Told apart from: Blue grosbeak, which is larger with chestnut wing bars
Where to look: Roadside shrubs and woodland edges

Behaviour

Indigo buntings migrate at night, using the stars to navigate — a finding from pioneering experiments in planetariums. Young males learn their songs from neighbours.

Why they matter

Indigo buntings have taught scientists much about how birds navigate by the stars. They eat many insects and seeds in old fields.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup in a shrub
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 12 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by the female
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Shrubby field edges support them.

Misconceptions

Indigo buntings are blue from pigment. Their blue comes from the structure of their feathers.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	In Central America	In Central America	In Central America	Arriving	Nesting	Nesting	Second broods	Young fledging	Migrating	Last birds	In Central America	In Central America

Where it lives

Recorded in 74 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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