Giftzii

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 will interbreed with the latter species where their ranges overlap.

The Indigo Bunting is a small bird, with a length of 11.5–13 cm (4.5-5 in). 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.

edit @ 19 Nov 2009 22:05:54 by Giftzii

Green Jays have feathers of yellowish-white with blue tips on the top of the head,

cheeks and nape, though some taxa have more blue than others, and the crown can

appear almost entirely white in some South American subspecies. A black bib forms a

thick band up to the sides of the head as well as a stripe through the eye line and one

above it. The breast and underparts typically are bright to dull yellow, or strongly

green-tinged in the far northermost part of its range. The upperparts are rich green.

It has large nasal bristles that form a distinct tuft in some subspecies, but are less

developed in others. The color of the iris ranges from dark brownish to bright yellow

depending on the subspecies.

edit @ 19 Nov 2009 22:07:05 by Giftzii

The Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca , is a small New World warbler. They

breed in eastern North America, from southern Canada, westwards to the southern

Canadian Prairies, the Great Lakes New England, to North Carolina.

Blackburnian Warblers are migratory, wintering in southern Central America and in

South America and are very rare vagrants to western Europe.

Blackburnian Warblers are 11.5 cm long and weigh 8.5 g. In summer, male Blackburnian

Warblers display dark gray backs and double white wing bars, with yellowish rumps

and dark brown crowns. The underparts of these birds are white, and are tinged with

yellow and streaked black. The head is strongly patterned in yellow and black, with

an orange throat.

Other plumages are washed-out versions of the summer male, and in particular lack

the strong head pattern, with weaker yellows and gray, instead of black.

The breeding habitats of these birds are mature coniferous woodlands or mixed

woodlands, especially ones containing spruce and hemlocks. Blackburnian Warblers

lay 4-5 eggs in a cup-shaped nest which is usually placed 2-38 m (5-80 feet) above

the ground, on a horizontal branch.

  These birds are insectivorous, but will include berries in their diets in wintertime. They usually search for insects in treetops.

Blackburnian Warblers' songs are a simple series of high swi notes, which often ascend in pitch. Their call is a high sip.

These birds were named after Anna Blackburne , who was an English botanist.