Passerina cyanea

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Order                 :Passeriformes

Family               :Cardinalidae

Genus                :Passerina

Species              :Cyanea

Subspecies         :---------

Explanation of the name:

The name comes from the indigo (cyan) colour of the male.

Description:

The male and female measure 5,5 inches and have different colours during breeding time. Adult males have deep blue plumage, the wing and tail are black with blue edges. Adult females are brown, darker on the upperparts, faintly streaked underneath. Older females have blue spots and are sometimes confused with a young male.

Somethimes confusion exists between the female of the Lazuli Bunting and the Indigo Bunting. The Indigo does not have the pale wing bars, it has bars but they are much smaller.

An immature male looks like a female. Then suddenly it starts to get blue patches and it becomes mature (can take up to 2 years).

Habitat:

During summer time they live south east of Canada and East of the USA.

They spend winter in Central America. 

Behaviour:

The Indigo Bunting feeds with seeds and (small amounts of) insects. The male spents his time singing on his lookout to defend his territory and to attract females. In august they leave their breeding area and migrate in large groups to the south-west of the USA and to Mexico. The Indigo Bunting migrates during the night, using the stars to direct itself. In captivity, since they cannot migrate, they experience disorientation in April/May and in September/October if they cannot see the stars from their enclosure. They spend winter in groups, together with Lazuli Buntings and Painted Buntings.
 

Breeding in the wild:

The female makes the open-cup nest near to the ground in a bush. She lays 3 to 4 eggs. The length of incubation is 12 days. The length to fledge is approximately 11 days. Normally it has 2 to 3 broods. The young birds are fed with insects. Their breeding habitat is brushy edges across eastern North America and the southwest United States. They nest relatively low in dense shrub or a low tree. They are monogamous but not always faithful to their partner. In the western part of their range, they often hybridize with the Lazuli Bunting.
 

Breeding in cages:

The best way to get breeding results is to keep one couple in a cage. You can keep them together with other birds provided there are no other Passerinas (males). You can breed them in cages of 1 by 2 by 2 meters but smaller cages will also do fine. A nest consists of 3 to 5 eggs. Only the female breeds the eggs and she does so during 12 days. The young birds are fed with alive food (insects) by the female and the male.

In the past, this was the most breeded and best known Passerina.