Indigo buntings are beautiful little songbirds that can add color and vitality to any yard or garden. Their bright indigo blue plumage makes them a real standout among other common backyard birds. If you want to attract indigo buntings to your outdoor space, there are a few key things you can do.
What do indigo buntings eat?
Food is one of the main attractions for any bird when choosing where to live and raise their young. Indigo buntings mainly eat small seeds and insects. During spring and summer, they rely heavily on insects like beetles, caterpillars, ants, bees, wasps, and spiders to feed their chicks the protein they need to grow. Once fall arrives, they switch over to seeds from grasses, agricultural crops, and wild plants. A good diversity of native seeds and insects in your yard will appeal to their appetites.
Providing seeds
To provide seeds for indigo buntings, be sure to plant some native grasses, wildflowers, shrubs, and trees that produce small nutritious seeds. Good options include native wildflowers like coneflowers, sunflowers, and asters. Fruit and berry producing shrubs like serviceberry, dogwood, and viburnum can also give them a winter seed source. Leave some areas of your lawn unmowed in fall so birds can forage on the grass seeds too.
Providing insects
Insects are especially vital for feeding baby buntings in spring and summer. You can attract more insects to your yard by planting native wildflowers, leaving some leaf litter and brush piles, and avoiding pesticides. Some great insect-attracting flowers include bee balm, cosmos, zinnias, and purple coneflowers. A birdbath with dripping water will also draw in insects for birds to catch and eat.
What kind of habitat and shelter do indigo buntings prefer?
In addition to food, indigo buntings also seek out certain types of habitats and natural features for nesting, roosting, and finding shelter from the elements and predators.
Brushy, shrubby areas
Indigo buntings prefer to nest low down in the interior of shrubs and brushy vegetation. This conceals their nests and young from predators. Planting more native shrubs such as elderberry, serviceberry, hazelnut, and dogwood will make your yard more attractive as nesting habitat. Prune back some areas of overgrown brush to create a dense, low tangle of stems and branches.
Edge habitats
Edge habitats, where two ecosystem types meet and mingle such as forest and meadow, are highly attractive to indigo buntings. These transitional zones typically have a diversity of food, cover, nesting sites, and other resources. You can create mini edge habitats in your own yard by planting a mix of trees, shrubs, and flower beds rather than large expanses of uniform grass.
Trees
Large shade trees provide shelter from the hot summer sun as well as safe night roosts up off the ground. Oak, hickory, maple, pine and other native trees offer good roosting and nesting spots. Evergreen trees can also provide cover in winter.
What other habitat features help attract indigo buntings?
In addition to food and shelter resources, there are a few other habitat features that can help make your yard more comfortable and welcoming to indigo buntings.
Water
A clean, reliable water source is essential for birds to bathe and drink. Installing a birdbath or small wildlife pond will help attract indigo buntings as well as other species to your yard. Be sure to refresh the water every few days and clean birdbaths regularly.
Nest boxes
While indigo buntings usually nest in natural sites low in shrubs, providing nest boxes can give them another secure nesting option free from predators. Use a small 1-2 inch diameter entrance hole box mounted 5-7 feet high in a tree to mimic their natural nesting cavities.
Native plants
Using native plants in your landscaping is key for attracting indigo buntings as well as supporting overall ecosystem health. Native insects and animals coevolved with native plants, so they are far more beneficial than exotic imports. Stick to native wildflowers, shrubs, grasses, and trees ideally adapted to your region.
Reduce pesticides
Synthetic pesticides and herbicides can poison birds and their prey. Minimizing the use of these chemicals provides a cleaner, healthier environment. Organic pest control methods like biological controls and hand weeding are safer alternatives.
What times of year are indigo buntings most likely to visit yards?
The likelihood of seeing indigo buntings in your yard changes throughout the seasons as they migrate and adjust their behaviors.
Spring migration
The window for spring migration can vary slightly depending on your location, but typically occurs from mid April through May. During this time you may see indigo buntings pass through while fueling up on your yards food and water sources.
Summer breeding
Summer is peak breeding season for indigo buntings when they are most active and conspicuous in backyards. Males sing and defend nesting territories from high perches while females incubate eggs and tend nestlings hidden down in shrubs and brush.
Fall migration
In fall, indigo buntings depart their breeding grounds anywhere from mid August through October. Fall migrants often stop by backyard habitats to fuel up on seeds and insects before migrating south to their wintering grounds in Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Winter range
Indigo buntings vacate most of the United States in winter, so are unlikely to be spotted in yards during this time. However, they may overwinter in the extreme southernmost parts of their range like south Florida and coastal California.
What are the best ways to identify indigo buntings?
With their brilliant all-blue coloring, male indigo buntings are usually easy to recognize. However, females and juveniles have more subtle tan plumage that can make them harder to differentiate from other sparrow-like birds. Here are some key identification tips:
Visual field marks
Plumage | Males | Females |
---|---|---|
Head | Blue | Brown |
Breast | Blue | Tan with faint streaking |
Belly | White | Pale tan |
Back | Blue | Brown with faint streaks |
Other helpful identification marks are the conical seed-eating bill, bluish legs and feet, white wing bars, and rusty shoulders on females. Juveniles resemble duller females with streaking on their underparts.
Size and shape
About the size of a sparrow at 4.5-5.5 inches long with a compact, stocky body and short, conical bill. Their posture when perched is more upright than other seedeaters.
Behavior
Males frequently sing from high exposed perches and can be very territorial. They have a distinct flying style, alternating rapid wing flaps with wings pressed to their sides creating an undulating flight pattern. They often flick their tail open repeatedly.
Habitat
Found in overgrown fields, forest edges, hedgerows, and gardens with dense brushy vegetation. The presence of shrubs for nesting along with adjacent trees for perching and singing are good clues.
Song and call
Males have a complex, warbling song of whistles, trills, and buzzy notes. Their call is a distinctive, electric “zeeeep” note. Females give a low, hoarse “chip” contact call.
How can you increase indigo bunting nesting success in your yard?
If a pair of indigo buntings does choose to nest on your property, there are a few things you can do to help ensure they successfully hatch and raise their chicks:
Avoid disturbing nests
Indigo buntings are prone to abandoning nests if disturbed too frequently by humans. Try to avoid excessive noise, traffic, and activity near known or suspected nest sites during spring and summer.
Let some brush grow wild
Areas of overgrown native shrubs and brambles provide ideal concealed nesting spots for indigo buntings. Avoid excessively trimming or clearing these habitats during nesting season.
Control predators
Domestic cats take a heavy toll on yard birds. Keep pet cats indoors or supervised when outside. Trim vegetation to reduce hiding places for stalking cats, foxes, and snakes near nests.
Reduce pesticide use
Pesticides not only kill insect prey, they can build up in the birds systems and poison nestlings. Use organic controls instead of toxic chemicals.
Provide supplemental food and water
Stock seed feeders and set out mealworms for adults, and offer shallow, dripping water sources. This supplemental food can help parent birds deliver enough nutrition to rapidly growing chicks.
Conclusion
By understanding indigo buntings preferred foods, nest sites, habitats, seasonal movements, and other ecological needs, you can make your yard as attractive as possible to these beautiful songbirds. Focus on providing native seeds and insects, brushy nesting areas, open perches, and safe access to water sources. A wildlife-friendly yard that avoids pesticides and buffers nests from people and predators can help indigo buntings thrive.
With a bit of planning and wildlife gardening, you’ll be rewarded with the splash of brilliant blue as male indigo buntings arrive to serenade from treetops and fence posts. Fledging their chicks in your yard will give you the satisfaction of knowing you played a role in successfully reproducing another generation of these declining songsters.