Indigo Bunting - photo courtesy Alan FletcherNot a great morning for birding, being warm and humid (birds were fine - I was struggling a little!). Nevertheless I went out to Volo Bog with my father this morning to see what we could see. One of the birds we saw was this Indigo Bunting. This bird was clearly with a female and probably nesting in the small area of prairie at the east of the park. Their color is truly amazing. I first spotted it flying down with a few American Goldfinches and barely saw it, but once you've seen that color, you've seen enough to know what it is. Indigo Buntings are about the same size as the yellow and black American Goldfinches and its overall shape is quite similar.
The Indigo Bunting can be separated from the rare [in our area] Blue Grosbeak but its size (its a little smaller) and the lack of rufous-brown wing bars. The Blue Grosbeak also has a larger bill. This bird is an adult male. The juvenile and females are the same shape but a drab brown color. A first winter male is a mottled mingling of the male & female being largely blue but having brown mixed in.
2 comments:
What a beautiful bird! It looks to have a divided or twin tail. Is that a regular characteristic, or is it just an aberration of this particular bird?
Hi John,
It doesn't have a divided tail but the picture does make it look a little like that. I think its just a mark on one of the tail feathers.
They are a beautiful bird that I never really get tired of seeing. I'm hoping to see its bigger cousin the Blue Grossbeak again soon!
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