Fauna Flora Photography

Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea

A small seed-eating bird of the cardinal family. Diet during the summer is insect only, though, and winter seeds. Only the male is blue colored and only through the breeding season. This species breeds in Southern Canada and winters in the Caribbean and Mexico.

Specs

Length13-15cm
Weight12-14g
Wingspan18-20cm

Common Names

GermanIndigofink
EnglishIndigo Bunting
FrenchPasserin indigo
SpanishAzulejo índigo

Taxonomy

OrderPasseriformes
FamilyCardinalidae
SpeciesPasserina cyanea

How to Identify

During the breeding season the male is easily identifiable due to its blue colored feathers. The other time of the year the male is brown as the female year long. Bill form and size is a distinguishable characteristic.

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) - Granby - 2017-07-22

Where and When to Spot

The only time I saw this species was in a mixed forest near Granby.

Last updated on 2023-12-15. Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to parks in the Montreal area.