Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting

Passerina cyanea

Silhouette: Jonah Duckles · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Celaque National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

27 Verified sightings at Celaque National Park From 2019 to 2026
11,286 In all 57 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Indigo Bunting

The indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) is a small seed-eating bird in the cardinal 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, measuring 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in) in length. It displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is vibrant blue in the summer, with brightly colored plumage during the breeding season to attract a mate. It is brown during the winter months, while the female is brown year-round. 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.

The indigo bunting is included in the family Cardinalidae, which is made up of passerine birds found in North and South America, and is one of seven birds in the genus Passerina... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:20

United States · 2026

© Rory Nefdt · XC1146756 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call1:19

United States · 2025

© Paul Driver · XC1045481 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:31

United States · 2022

© Bobby Wilcox · XC738690 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
4 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
5 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
6 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
7 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
8 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
9 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
10 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
11 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
12 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
13 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
14 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
15 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
16 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
17 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
18 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
19 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
20 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
21 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
25 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
26 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
27 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
28 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
32 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
<5%
35 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
36 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
37 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
38 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
39 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
43 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
44 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
45 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
46 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
47 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
48 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
49 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
50 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
51 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
52 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
53 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
54 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
55 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
56 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
57 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
3 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
9 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 National Zoological Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Parque Zoológico de León - Zooleón 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
4 Xcaret 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
5 Parque museo La Venta 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
6 Florida Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Texas State Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Indigo Bunting in Celaque National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indigo Bunting sighting in Celaque National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 70th most-seen of the 193 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Indigo Bunting in Celaque National Park?

December

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Indigo Bunting in Celaque National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and October, the lowest months. That is one of Celaque National Park's driest months, with about 100 mm of rain against 370 mm in September.

What time of day is best to see an Indigo Bunting?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indigo Bunting sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Indigo Bunting live in Celaque National Park?

Same family: Cardinalidae

The closest relatives of the Indigo Bunting that you can see in Celaque National Park (family Cardinalidae, Cardinals and Allies) are Hepatic Tanager (about 30%), Summer Tanager (about 20%) and Flame-colored Tanager (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Indigo Bunting sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Indigo Bunting is recorded against all the birds logged in Celaque National Park (27 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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