CreatureData

Indigo bunting

Passerina cyanea (Linnaeus, 1766)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) is a species in the family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 14.4 g to 15 g and live up to 11 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea)
Photo: Dan Pancamo · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the indigo bunting

Weight
14.4 g – 15 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
11 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Granivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
12.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the indigo bunting live?

Not recorded

What is the indigo bunting?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) is a small seed-eating bird in the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season, and from southern Florida to northern South America during the winter. It often migrates by night, using the stars to navigate. Its habitat is farmland, brush areas, and open woodland. The indigo bunting is closely related to the lazuli bunting and interbreeds with the species where their ranges overlap.

The indigo bunting is a small bird, measuring 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in) in length. It displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is vibrant blue in the summer, with brightly colored plumage during the breeding season to attract a mate. It is brown during the winter months, while the female is brown year-round. Nest-building and incubation are done solely by the female. The diet of the indigo bunting consists primarily of insects during the summer months and seeds during the winter months.

From the Wikipedia article “Indigo bunting” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indigo_bunting&oldid=1382390935), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the indigo bunting sound like?

Credit at source · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Is the indigo bunting endangered?

The indigo bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the indigo bunting classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCardinalidae
  6. genusPasserina
  7. SpeciesPasserina cyanea (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms Cyanospiza cyanea, Passer cyanea, Spiza cyanea, Tanagra cyanea

Other names and names in other languages (58)
  • Indigo birdEnglish
  • عصفور الراية النيليArabic
  • Passerell blauCatalan
  • cardenal indi de front lilaCatalan
  • Индиго алык оравиMari
  • ᎠᎵᏣᏃᏍᎦCherokee
  • papežík indigovýCzech
  • bras goleulasWelsh
  • IndigofinkeDanish
  • IndigofinkGerman
  • Indigo-FinkenammerGerman
  • ΓαλαζοτσίχλονοGreek
  • cejana kardinaloEsperanto
  • azulejoSpanish
  • Azulillo índigoSpanish
  • Azulillo NorteñoSpanish
  • Colorín azulSpanish
  • gorrión azulSpanish
  • indigolindEstonian
  • indigokardinaaliFinnish
  • passerin indigoFrench
  • Passerine indigoFrench
  • Gealóg phlúiríneachIrish
  • Pompee phlooreenaghScottish Gaelic
  • גיבתונית כחולהHebrew
  • modri batačCroatian
  • indigópintyHungarian
  • BlátittlingurIcelandic
  • MinistroItalian
  • Zigolo indacoItalian
  • ルリノジコJapanese
  • mėlynoji startenėLithuanian
  • indigo stērsteLatvian
  • indigospurvNorwegian Bokmål
  • indigogorsDutch
  • IndigovinkDutch
  • indigosporvNorwegian Nynorsk
  • Para ÍndigoPapiamento
  • Parha ÍndigoPapiamento
  • łuszczyk indygowyPolish
  • cardeal-azulPortuguese
  • mariposa-azulPortuguese
  • Синяя овсянкаRussian
  • Индиговый колоринRussian
  • Индиговый овсянковый кардиналRussian
  • инди́говый овся́нковый кардина́лRussian
  • IndigocihciNorthern Sami
  • indigocizášNorthern Sami
  • pápežík indigovýSlovak
  • indigov mavričarSlovenian
  • Indigo strnadicaSerbian
  • turkoskardinalSwedish
  • indigo kuşuTurkish
  • Çivit ÇintesiTurkish
  • скригнатка індиговаUkrainian
  • 靛彩鹀Chinese
  • 靛蓝彩鹀Chinese
  • 靛藍彩鵐Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the indigo bunting

Other species in the same genus Passerina.

CompareIndigo bunting vs Painted buntingIndigo bunting vs Blue grosbeakIndigo bunting vs Lazuli buntingIndigo bunting vs Varied bunting

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the indigo bunting?

An adult indigo bunting weighs 14.4 g – 15 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the indigo bunting endangered?

The indigo bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the indigo bunting live?

The indigo bunting has a recorded lifespan of 11 years.

What kind of animal is the indigo bunting?

The indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) belongs to the family Cardinalidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/indigo-bunting

MLA

“Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/indigo-bunting.

BibTeX
@misc{indigo_bunting_2026,
  title = {Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/indigo-bunting},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}