Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
The indigo bunting is a smallish songbird, around the size of a small sparrow. It measures 11.5–15 cm (4.5–5.9 in) long, with a wingspan of 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in). Body mass averages 14.5 g (0.51 oz), with a reported range of 11.2–21.4 g (0.40–0.75 oz). During the breeding season, the adult male appears mostly a vibrant cerulean blue. Only the head is indigo. The wings and tail are black with cerulean blue edges. In fall and winter plumage, the male has brown edges to the blue body and head feathers, which overlap to make the bird appear mostly brown. Voice: The indigo bunting communicates through vocalizations and visual cues. A sharp chip! call is used by both sexes, and is used as an alarm call if a nest or chick is threatened. A high-pitched, buzzed zeeep is used as a contact call when the indigo bunting is in flight.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lazuli Bunting
Passerina amoena
Measurements: Length: 5.1–5.9 in (13–15 cm) Weight: 0.5–0.6 oz (13–18 g) Wingspan: 8.7 in (22 cm) The male is easily recognized by its bright blue head and back (lighter than the closely related indigo bunting), its conspicuous white wingbars, and its light rusty breast and white belly. The color pattern may suggest the eastern and western bluebirds, but the smaller size (13–15 cm or 5–5.9 inches long), wingbars, and short and conical bunting bill quickly distinguish it. Voice: The song is a high, rapid, strident warble, similar to that of the indigo bunting but longer and with less repetition.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where you might meet both
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