Indigo Bunting

Passerina cyanea

Summer — spring arrival to early fallSeasonal

The take

An all-blue jewel singing from powerline cuts and greenway edges all summer.

How to ID it

  • Breeding male is blue all over, slightly richer blue on the head, with a silver-gray conical bill.
  • Stocky and sparrow-sized with a short tail; females are plain brown with faint breast streaks.
  • Males sing all summer from treetops, shrubs, and telephone lines, often swishing the tail side to side.

Field marks at a glance

Size
small
Head
rich indigo blue (male)
Call
paired sweet-sweet phrases from a high perch

Where & when

Summer — spring arrival to early fall

Learn more

Sources