200. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Indigo Bunting

A month into summer, birdsong has diminished considerably. But a few species still vocalize regularly. One of the most conspicuous songsters is the indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), a diminutive summer resident of the Barrington area that excites observers with its electric blue.

The song of the indigo bunting has a ringing quality that readily distinguishes it from other birds still singing at this time of year. The notes of Midwestern buntings (often quite different from those of their Eastern counterparts) are strong, evenly spaced and, if you listen closely, given in pairs and hopping up and down the musical scale.

Once you hear the song, it’s usually easy to locate the bird. It favors open perches, often at the top of a dead tree. It can appear dark, even blackish, from a distance but once you get binoculars on the bird, you gasp at the ultramarine blue, especially when illuminated by sunlight.

The female is an entirely different matter. She is unremarkable, a dull brown that is as drab as her mate’s color is vibrant. While he sings ostentatiously, she tends the nest she has made in dense vegetation usually only a foot or two above the ground. It is built of coarse grasses and bark strips, lined with deer hair or fine grass, and contains usually three or four white eggs. She is the sole incubator, leaving her mate free to serenade.

Indigo buntings regularly visit bird feeders, especially in early spring when they first arrive, and sometimes in colorful association with goldfinches and rose-breasted grosbeaks. During and after nest season, I often see the male and female together. They hardly look like a pair – the plumage is so completely different – until you notice that the size and shape are alike. Both birds have the short, conical bills of seedeaters and both have small, beady black eyes. As the season progresses, you can recognize young males by the splotchy brown and blue plumage as their adult blue feathers begin to grow in.

The species is surprisingly common in the Barrington area. You won’t see buntings in town but can expect to see and hear them in local natural areas, such as Citizens for Conservation’s Flint Creek Savanna and Grigsby Prairie, and Lake and Cook County forest preserves. They favor shrubby edges between open and wooded areas. At this time of year, I hear and spot them regularly as I bike local country roads.

The buntings will linger until September or even October, then will depart for their wintering grounds in Central America and the West Indies. Their ringing treetop songs will fade until next spring when we can welcome back both their music and blue brilliance to our countryside.

About the Author

Wendy Paulson has lived in Barrington Hills since 1975, and has led bird walks in the area for many years. She re-established the Nature Lady program in the Barrington 220 school district and St. Anne’s in the late 70s, under the auspices of The Garden Club and Little Garden Club of Barrington. Wendy developed the education program for Citizens for Conservation, initiated and edited its newsletter, and has been an active volunteer with CFC for over 30 years.

During interludes in New York City and Washington, DC, Wendy taught classes about birds in the public schools and is helping to develop a similar program in Chicago public schools with Openlands. She is chairman of The Bobolink Foundation, serves on the board or advisory committee of multiple conservation and bird-related organizations, both domestic and international, and is former chairman of IL and NY chapters of The Nature Conservancy.

Wendy and her husband Hank have two grown children and are avid hikers, cyclists, and kayakers.

CLICK HERE to explore all of the local bird profiles Wendy has authored in our Birds of Barrington series at 365Barrington.com.

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Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Wilson’s Snipe

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Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Robin

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Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Song Sparrow

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Goldeneye

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Of Music & Mourning Doves

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Shrike

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Tale of the Turkey Vulture

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Song of the Sedge Wren

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Dickcissel Discovery

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American White Pelican

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Woodcock

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Merganser

Barrington Area Spring Bird Walks & Hikes with Wendy Paulson

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Tree Sparrow

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Golden-crowned Kinglet

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue Jay

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Goldfinch

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Black-billed Cuckoo

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Brown Thrasher

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Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Wood Duck

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Red-bellied Woodpecker

Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | White-throated Sparrow

365. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Great Horned Owl

311. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Pied-billed Grebe

266. New Schedule of Fall Bird Hikes With Wendy Paulson

265. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Nighthawk

235. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Cedar Waxwing

164. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Scarlet Tanager

163. Stunning Photos Captured During Annual Baker’s Lake Island Rookery Bird Count

126. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Eastern Towhee

97. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Return of the Red-winged Blackbird

61. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: The Upside-Down Bird

60. New Season of Spring Bird Walks & Hikes with Naturalist Wendy Paulson

43. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Downy Woodpecker Yawns at Dawn

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6. Recycled Christmas Trees Bound for Rookery Island

5. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Red-tailed Hawk

321. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: The Sandhill Crane

278. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

248. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Call of the Killdeer

228. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Barn Swallows Signal Autumn’s Approach

199. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Eastern Kingbird

153. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Baltimore Oriole

126. Wendy Paulson Highlights The Great Blue Heron, Barrington’s Official Town Bird

125. Hands of Hope’s 14th Annual Barrington Country Garden & Antique Faire

89. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Meadowlark, the Flautist of Prairies

66. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Cardinal

64. Barrington Spring Bird Walks with Wendy Paulson

36. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Black-Capped Chickadee

18. Christmas Trees Transported to Refresh Nests at Baker’s Lake Rookery

337. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | ‘Tis the Season for Snowbirds

279. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Bluebird

201. Fall Bird Walks Scheduled with Wendy Paulson

186. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Bobolink

116. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Great Egret Spotting at Baker’s Lake

84. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Finding the Northern Flicker

72. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | An Eye on the Eastern Phoebe

60. Citizens for Conservation Spring Bird Hikes

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