Indigo Bunting

June 23, 2021

“We don’t own the planet earth
we belong to it.
And we must share it
with our wildlife.”
~ Steve Irwin

I was getting ready to go outside earlier today and noticed the male Indigo Bunting flirting around the grape arbor out front. I stood in the door way for a few minutes, just watching…surprised it had stuck around. I shouldn’t really be surprised…I’ve noticed more birds sticking around than normal. Namely, the Pileated Woodpecker, Indigo Bunting and Red Winged Blackbird. What ever is going on, I won’t complain.

(pinterest)

So I thought I’d share some info on the Indigo Bunting…

• small, seed eating bird in the Cardinal family
• females do almost all the work, staying hidden in dense thickets
• favor brushy edges over unbroken forest
• forages at all levels from the ground up
• eats insects, seeds and berries
• lays up to 4 eggs at a time, that are whit to blueish-white; incubation 12 to 14 days
• young leave the nest 9 to 12 days after hatching

(audobon.org)

• male establishes territory and defends it with song
• male may have more than 1 mate living on its territory
• nest site is 1-3 feet above ground level, may nest in goldenrod late in the season
• nest is an open cup of grass, weeds, leaves, and bark strips and lined with finer materials; built by the female
• (Indigo Bunting | Audubon Field Guide)

Songs (youtube)

nickname: blue canary
ranges from Canada to Florida, northern South America in winter

• their blue like color comes from microscopic structures in the feathers that refract and reflect blue light
• the oldest recorded Indigo Bunting was a male that was 13 years old, 3 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased in Ohio, during branding procedures

Spirit Guide:

• Buntings speak of knowledge and intelligence with an emphasis on utilizing your voice to “sing” beautifully
• Blue/Indigo Buntings speak of love, truth and good; teaching how to camoflage in order to rest and that emotions may need to surface in order to heal (starstuff.com)

hope you have a great day!
thanks for stopping by!!

If you let another lead you
instead of aiding you
You will become a shadow
for your true purpose lies
within the silent whispers
of your soul

take care
stay safe
much love