Indigo Bunting

Passerina cyanea

Status: Secure

The Indigo Bunting is a small, sparrow-size bird. Males, especially during mating season, are a brilliant blue while females are more of a tan color. These birds prefer to live and nest in open forest spaces, such as along the edges of a forest, or in areas that have recently burned and are just starting to grow back. These birds feed primarily on seeds, berries, and small insects.

indigo1
female indigo bunting
female indigo bunting

Habitat & Range

The indigo bunting can be found throughout eastern North America, and migrate to Central and South America for the winter. These birds depend on brush and grassy areas to create its nest and feed.

Food Web & Energy Flow

The indigo bunting mainly eats insects during the spring and summer months, and seeds during the winter, making it a secondary consumer. Predators, including snakes, cats, lizards, raccoons, and other types of birds, are mainly those that can climb and they mostly prey on the eggs of the indigo bunting.

Relationship to Fire

The indigo bunting is not particularly dependent on fire to maintain its habitat, as they can live in other places as well. But, for birds that have established themselves in longleaf pine forests, regular fires maintain conditions this bird does prefer.

fire-bog

Conservation Status

The indigo bunting is considered Secure, and is not considered at risk of going extinct.

Conservation status at the state level. NatureServe Explorer
Conservation status at the state level. NatureServe Explorer

Human Impacts/ Threats

Habitat Loss
development

Indigo bunting needs open natural space and trees to survive. Clearing this habitat for other uses such as farming or houses is a threat to this bird species.

Animal Diversity Web. Indigo Bunting

American Bird Conservancy. Indigo Bunting

Audubon Guide to North American Birds. Indigo Bunting

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