Overview

Indigo Bunting: Small finch with brilliant, almost iridescent, blue plumage. Crown is darker blue with a purple tint. Wings and tail are black with blue edges. Feeds on insects, larvae, grains, seeds, berries. Short flights low over vegetation, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

Indigo Bunting: Breeds from southeastern Saskatchewan east to New Brunswick, and south to central Arizona, central Texas, the Gulf coast, and northern Florida. Spends winters in southern Florida and in the tropics. Preferred habitats include brushy slopes, old pastures and fields grown to scrub, woodland clearings, and forest edges adjacent to fields.

Voice Text

"sweet-sweet, sweeter-sweeter, here-here"

• Indigo Buntings are actually black; the diffraction of light through their feathers makes them look blue. This explains why males can appear many shades from turquoise to black.
• They are more common now than when the pilgrims first landed. This is due to an increase in their favorite habitat of woodland edges, such as power line clearings and along roads.
• They migrate at night, using the pattern of stars nearest the North Star to guide them. In captivity, these birds will become disoriented if they can’t see the stars in April/May and September/October.
• A group of buntings are collectively known as a "decoration", "mural", and "sacrifice" of buntings.

• Lazuli Bunting
• Painted Bunting
• Blue Grosbeak
• Mountain Bluebird
• Varied Bunting
• Blue Bunting

Cardinals, Piranga Tanagers and Allies (Cardinalidae)

ORDER

The cardinals and grosbeaks are one of the one hundred eighteen families of birds in the order PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez); a large taxonomic order that includes other families of finch-like birds such as the weavers, estrilid finches, and sparrows.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The bird family Cardinalidae (pronounced kar-dih-NAH-lih-dee), which includes the cardinals and grosbeaks, is composed of forty-two species of birds in eleven genera restricted to the New World.

NORTH AMERICA

In North America, there are twenty-five species of Cardinalidae in eight genera. Cardinals, grosbeaks, and the colorful buntings are all members of this bird family.

KNOWN FOR

Members of the Cardinalidae such as the Painted Bunting are known for their colorful plumages. The males of this brilliant species are decked out in such brilliant colors that they appear to have been painted – hence their name. Of course, the male Northern Cardinal with its proud crested head and cheery red plumage has become an iconic image among bird enthusiasts throughout North America.

PHYSICAL

Members of this bird family are small to medium sized birds with rather long tails, short wings, fairly long, strong legs and feet suited for perching. Some species have crested heads and all have short, stout bills adapted to cracking open seeds.

COLORATION

A family known for their bright colors, male plumages are generally brighter than those of females and are a sampling of the colors of the rainbow from vivid violets and blues to bright, orange, yellow, and reds. Black, white, and greenish coloration also occur in this family. Females lack bright coloration and tend to have brown, streaked plumages.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

In North America, members of this family range from British Columbia, Canada south into the Neotropical region where most species occur. The northernmost species are the Black-headed and the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, one occurring in the coniferous forests of the west and the other mostly inhabiting the deciduous forests of the east. Other members of this family are birds of edge habitats and second growth.

MIGRATION

A few members of this family are long distance migrants to Central and South America while others are permanent residents.

HABITS

Most cardinals, piranga tanagers and allies are solitary birds although some species flock together during migration and winter, the Dickcissel in particular forming large flocks. Foraging for invertebrates and seeds takes place in trees, bushes and on the ground.

CONSERVATION

The Painted Bunting has shown a sharp decline in some areas of its range. This brilliant species is threatened by habitat loss, parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird, and is probably affected by the thousands of birds trapped each year in its wintering range in Mexico.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Dickcissel is often called the “ricebird” on its wintering grounds in the wet savannahs of South America as it often feeds on rice grain. It is sometimes considered a pest for this reason, especially because it occurs in flocks that number in the thousands.

Author

Artist

Yury Lisyak