Tag Archives: Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)

An Indigo Bunting On Its Perfect Perch

June 19, 2026

An Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), here for the summer, has found the perfect perch for posing.

I used to often bike along the W&OD Trail, in Northern Virginia, where I’d frequently see these beautiful birds sitting on utility wires, singing their, “what! what! where? where? see it! see it!” song, as I peddled past. I loved seeing them there, and now I get to see them right out my kitchen window.

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Beautiful Blue!

July 5, 2025

I saw him this morning preparing to take a dip in the birdbath. A bath to clean those striking blue feathers of this male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea).

Bathing allows birds to freshen and sustain their feathers. Bathing helps birds in their ability to fly, assisting with insulation, and in waterproofing those feathers. And of course it helps to eliminate any soil, and parasites.

This care of their feathers helps but doesn’t keep them from wearing out. Indigo Buntings molt twice a year. Males go from their vibrant blue coloring during mating season to brown for their winter garb in autumn, and back to their mating season blue in the spring. Females wear their brown plumage year round, but also molt in autumn and spring.

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Back From South America?

May 18, 2025

This morning I saw the season’s first Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea). They spend the winter months somewhere between southern Florida and northern South America. No telling where this guy has been. Even spending the winter in southern Florida means he was very far from here.

They find their way over those incredible distances by using the movement of stars, specifically the North Star, and constellations like Ursa Major and Cassiopeia.

Pretty impressive.

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