INDIGO BUNTING. 



598. Cyanospiza cyanea. 5 l / 2 inches. 



Male, indigo blue; female, brownish but usually 

 with a faint indication of blue on the wings or tail. 



A jolly summer songster, dwelling with us from the 

 latter part of May until September. You will meet 

 with these Buntings along roadsides lined with 

 scrubby trees or bushes, or in pastures or along the 

 edges of swamps. The male usually has some favorite 

 perch upon which he spends a large portion of his time 

 singing; it is nearly always the top of a tall bush or 

 tree. 



Song. A sprightly little warble with many canary- 

 like notes. Call, a sharp chip. 



Nest. Of grasses at low elevations in shrubs or 

 bushes; eggs four or five in number, very pale bluish 

 white (.75x.52). 



Eange. U. S. east of the Kockies, and most abun- 

 dant east of the Mississippi; breeds north to Manitoba 

 and New Brunswick; winters in Central America. 



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