Indigo Bunting

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Cardinalidae

Genus: Passerine

Species: P. cyanea

Identifying Characteristics:

- Adult bird description:

• Small songbird
• short, conical bill/beak
• Male: dark blue plumage, with a darker crown which verges on purple (breeding season), the wings and tail are black with blue edges.
• Female: dull brown
• 11.5- 13 cm in length
• wingspan: 20 - 23 cm
• Feet and legs: black or gray

Special Adaptations:

- Habitat: brushy forest edges, open deciduous woods, second growth woodland, and farmland

- Communicates: through vocalizations and visual cues

- Migration: April and May and then again in September and October. Often migrates during the night, using the stars to direct itself

- Generally monogamous but not always faithful to their partner

- Nesting sites are located in dense shrub or a low tree

- Forages on insects, seeds, and berries