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The indigo bunting is a small, sparrow-sized songbird that is sometimes nicknamed the blue canary. They are stocky birds with short tails, and thick conical bills. During breeding season the male is a bright azure blue with an indigo head, and black wings and tail with blue edges. In winter the male has brown edges to its feathers which overlap so it appears mostly brown.
Adult female indigo buntings are brown on the upperparts and lighter brown on the underparts. They may have a touch of blue on the wings.
Male birds can be heard all summer long singing from treetops, shrubs, and telephone lines.
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In summer indigo buntings eat insects, caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, and beetles, as well as grass seed. In winter they will eat some insects if available but mainly seeds and buds.
During breeding season it is a solitary feeder but in winter it will form flocks with other indigo buntings.
Indigo buntings are migratory ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during breeding season, and from southern Florida to northern South America over winter.
They can be found in deciduous forest and woodland, hedgerows and overgrown patches on farmland, and can also be spotted by roadside foraging in seed-laden grass.
One Response
Such a beautiful bird