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Project Noah Nature School
Passerina cyanea
I first heard this female Indigo Bunting in the grass and managed to call her into view. She's eating the seeds of some species of Panic Grass, genus Panicum. The males are a lovely deep blue color.
Spotted on Jul 2, 2011
Submitted on Jul 3, 2011
5 Comments
I know the finch one well... the females seem to have a melodic/chattering like call as well as the males? but as far as I know there aren't buntings in this part of Maine.
I'd say they were roughly similar in size. They definitely do resemble female purple finches. The other valuable field mark which can't be photographed is voice, which is distinctive for both the bunting and the finch.
That is subtle!! I can see the bill colors though... I think I would briefly mistake it for a female purple finch? Are they similar in size?
The best field mark for the females, which isn't visible in these pictures, is their tail, which is faintly colored blue. Another good mark is their bill, which is stouter than a sparrows and is bi-colored, with the upper part darker than the lower.
How do you i.d. a female? So plain.