Indigo Bunting Habits

One habit of the Indigo Bunting bird is his persistant singing. Singing well into the summer when most birds have fallen silent.

While this bird appears to love singing, he's not especially melodic. One song may sound like another, but individual birds vary greatly in melody and sequence.

Description

Indigo Bunting

Measuring 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches in length and has a sparrowlike dark gray conical bill.

In summer, the male is dark blue overall. In winter the male is brownish with some blue on underparts. It takes the sun's light to see the iridescent blue of this bird.

The feathers don't contain any blue pigment but the diffracted sunlight gives the feathers the appearance of blue.

The female is a plain brown, with faint wing bars and faint streaking. Keeping this same plumage all year. Female Indigos can be difficult to find. Their plain plumage and secretive nature during nesting make them hard to add to the birders list.

Mating Habits

Not much is known about this birds mating habits other than to say, singing from an uppermost perch is likely done - to attract a perspective mate and protect his territory.

Nesting Habits

Indigo Bunting Video

The nest is a well-made cup of grass, leaves, bark strips and lined with finer grasses and downy material.

Located 5 to 15 feet above ground in a bush, small tree, or tangle.

The female lays 2 to 6 bluish unmarked eggs. Incubation is done by the female only and last about 12 days.

The young will leave the nest withing 10 to 15 days after hatching. These birds are very reluctant to approach the nest if humans are close by.

If you get near the nest they will give a "spit" call and flick their tail.

1 - 2 broods raised each season. Sometimes the male will still be feeding the first fledglings while the female begins building a second nest.

Feeding Habits

Indigo Buntings forage on the ground and in low folige for insects such as spiders. Additional food sources for these birds include weed seeds, wild berries, and grain.

Video

Praire Nature Park, Lawrence, Kansas - Sorry, it was very windy