What is "indigo bunting"

Indigo \In"di*go\, a. Having the color of, pertaining to, or derived from, indigo. Indigo berry (Bot.), the fruit of the West Indian shrub Randia aculeata, used as a blue dye. Indigo bird (Zo["o]l.), a small North American finch ( Cyanospiza cyanea). The male is indigo blue in color. Called also indigo bunting. Indigo blue.

1. The essential coloring material of commercial indigo, from which it is obtained as a dark blue earthy powder, with a reddish luster, C16H10N2O2, which may be crystallized by sublimation. Indigo blue is also made from artificial amido cinnamic acid, and from artificial isatine; and these methods are of great commercial importance. Called also indigotin.

2. A dark, dull blue color like the indigo of commerce.

   Indigo brown (Chem.), a brown resinous substance found in crude indigo.

   Indigo copper (Min.), covellite.

   Indigo green, a green obtained from indigo.

   Indigo plant (Bot.), a leguminous plant of several species (genus Indigofera), from which indigo is prepared. The different varieties are natives of Asia, Africa, and America. Several species are cultivated, of which the most important are the Indigofera tinctoria, or common indigo plant, the Indigofera Anil, a larger species, and the Indigofera disperma.

   Indigo purple, a purple obtained from indigo.

   Indigo red, a dyestuff, isomeric with indigo blue, obtained from crude indigo as a dark brown amorphous powder.

   Indigo snake (Zo["o]l.), the gopher snake.

   Indigo white, a white crystalline powder obtained by reduction from indigo blue, and by oxidation easily changed back to it; -- called also indigogen.

   Indigo yellow, a substance obtained from indigo.

n. A blue bunting of North America, (taxlink Passerina cyanea species noshow=1).

n. small deep blue North American bunting [syn: indigo finch, indigo bird, Passerina cyanea]

The indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) is a small seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season, and from southern Florida to northern South America during the winter. It often migrates by night, using the stars to navigate. Its habitat is farmland, brush areas, and open woodland. The indigo bunting is closely related to the lazuli bunting and interbreeds with the species where their ranges overlap.

The indigo bunting is a small bird, with a length of . It displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is a vibrant blue in the summer and a brown color during the winter months, while the female is brown year-round. The male displays brightly colored plumage during the breeding season to attract a mate. Nest-building and incubation are done solely by the female. The diet of the indigo bunting consists primarily of insects during the summer months and seeds during the winter months.