July 2025

Have you ever seen a solid blue bird visit your feeder and thought, “That’s no bluebird!” If you have, congratulations on seeing one of NWA’s most sought-after birds, the Indigo Bunting. These sparrow-sized birds are fairly common in Arkansas from the spring through the fall, and will readily visit brushy yards. The males take on a deep blue hue that looks vibrant in sunshine and more subdued in the shade, while the female wears a deep warm brown with a paler belly. The male’s call almost sounds like he’s saying “Fire, fire! Where? Here!”

During nesting season, look for these birds raising their young in dense shrubs or low trees, usually very close to the ground. Their nests are open cups made of grass, leaves, weeds, and bark strips, with a lining made of smaller pieces, put together almost entirely by the female. Their 3-4 eggs tend to be very light in color, with just a touch of pale blue, and only take about two weeks to hatch. After hatching, the young will stay in the nest for 8-14 days before fledging. Similarly to Bluebirds and Blue Jays, their feathers are not actually blue, it’s a trick of the eye caused by the shape of the feather rather than the pigment.

To draw more Indigo buntings into your yard, one of the easiest things to do is to encourage native shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers to grow for food and nesting locations. In addition to that, a supplemental bird feeder that offers millet will help, especially a tray-style feeder close to the ground. They are one of the few birds able to eat the fuzzy Brown-Tail Moth caterpillar. Finally, having an easily-accessible water feature will draw both buntings and other birds to visit much more frequently.

If you would like to see more Indigo Buntings at the Botanical Garden’s bird-feeding station, make sure to donate to the BGO “Feed a Bird” fund! For more about Indigo Buntings and other birds, or to pick out your new favorite feeder, visit Wild Birds Unlimited at 745 E Joyce Blvd in Fayetteville or 2011 Promenade Blvd in Rogers. Enjoy the birds!