What Do Indigo Buntings Eat? (Complete Guide)

blue bunting (blue tit) is a delicate bird that ranges primarily from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season and from southern Florida to northern South America during the winter.

They are migratory birds and often use the stars to navigate during their nocturnal migrations. Mature male indigo buntings have distinctive vibrant blue plumage to attract females in summer and turn brown in winter. Females and immature males are brown year-round.

The feeding habits of these lively little birds also depend on the season. So, let’s dig a little deeper and see what do blue buntings eat?

Blue buntings are omnivores. Their diet consists of grains, seeds, fruits and insects. In daily life, the food they eat depends on the season. During the breeding season in summer, blue buntings eat more insects to boost their protein levels. When winter comes and they head south, their diet changes to consist mainly of seeds, buds, and berries.

Blue bunting feeding on wild grain grass

Favorite berries for blue buntings include blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, nori, and elderberries.

After feeding on berries all winter, they migrate north to reproduce. When they reach their breeding grounds, they often eat twigs, buds, and leaves of trees, including cottonwoods, oaks, aspens, elms, and maples.

While breeding and raising their young, these buntings prefer to feed on insects and small arthropods such as grasshoppers, cicadas, caterpillars, aphids, canker worms, weevils, rattlesnakes, and spiders. They even love browntail moth caterpillars, which have poisonous hairs that cause rashes and breathing problems in humans.

What insects do blue buntings eat?

Beetles, grasshoppers, aphids, and cicadas are the main insects eaten by blue buntings. They also prefer the strange spider looming.

The breeding season, from May to September, is when these birds eat the most bugs. The extra protein comes in handy when they build their nests and raise their young.

Indigo buntings foraging in Sweetwater wetlands in Gainesville, Florida

What plants do blue buntings eat?

Favorite plant foods for blue buntings include thistles, blueberries, dogwood, strawberries, elderberries, wheat, grasses, oats, corn, alfalfa, rice, and dandelions.

These birds are most likely to eat plant foods during the winter months, which they spend from southern Florida to northern South America. However, they will eat this food at other times to supplement their diet.

How do blue buntings forage?

Indigo buntings forage at different levels. They find what they need to eat on the ground as well as in shrubs and trees.

A favorite environment for these buntings is an overgrown field or bush where they have easy access to food.

They get berries from the bushes and insects from the leaves of the same bushes and trees. Blue buntings are also frequently foraging for seeds on the ground or grabbing seeds from stems.

Blue Bunting singing on perch

Do blue buntings forage alone or with other birds?

The season determines whether the indigo bunting hunts for food alone or with others. They tend to forage in groups in winter and alone in summer.

Solitary foraging in summer coincides with breeding season. This is the time for buntings to raise their young and take care of their interests.

What time of day do indigo buntings eat?

Blue buntings are most active during the day. This is when they spend their time looking for food.

These energetic little birds work hard to find food. They were just as likely to search in weeds and bushes as they were in shrubs and trees.

Indigo bunting among leaves

What do blue buntings eat in winter?

Winter is the time of year when buntings can be found in southern Florida and northern South America. Here, they mainly eat grass, seeds and berries. Although they will eat insects if available.

These birds often flock for food at this time of year. Together with other indigo buntings, they forage for seeds, grains and berries.

What do blue buntings eat in summer?

Summer is the breeding season for blue buntings. During the season, they are mostly found in southern Canada and northern Florida. Here, they eat insects such as grasshoppers, cicadas and beetles, as well as spiders. Having this insectivorous diet helps them increase the protein levels they need to build nests and raise young.

This time of year, the buntings forage for food on their own. They use this food to feed their offspring or offspring, as they can have more than one per breeding season.

Female blue flag perched on a branch

What do little blue buntings eat?

When baby blue buntings are born, they are fed by their parents. Their food is mainly insects. This provides them with the protein they need to stay healthy.

Young indigo buntings are fed by their parents until they have fledged around 8 to 14 days, after which they are cared for by their mothers for a short period of time.

Indigo Bunting Mother Feeding Chicks Nest

Are little blue buntings fed by the mother or the father?

In most cases, young indigo buntings are fed by females. Sometimes the male will help feed the chicks when their wings are about to emerge. This usually happens when they are 8 to 14 days old.

Once the young have left the nest, the male sometimes takes over for a while if the female begins to build another nest for a second brood.

What do you feed your indigo bunting?

When feeding blue buntings, your best bet is to choose seeds such as thistle or Nyjer. They are also partial to hulled sunflower seeds and will happily pick up millet from the ground.

Given their penchant for insects, it’s also a good idea to include mealworms when feeding these birds. This helps vary their diet and provides them with protein, which is especially important during the breeding season.

Male Blue Bunting singing on Butterfly Grass in Marion, Illinois, USA

Do indigo buntings feed on the ground?

It is not uncommon to see indigo buntings feeding on all levels. They are equally happy to pick seeds and grains from the ground as they forage in shrubs and trees for food.

Indigo buntings are sometimes scared off by larger birds. In this case, they will happily fly to the ground, looking for items such as millet that are placed there or dropped on the ground.

What seeds do blue buntings eat?

Thistle or Nyjer seeds are a particular favorite of Indigo Bunting. They also enjoy eating safflower seeds and hulled sunflower seeds.

Nyjer seeds are an excellent source of energy for birds. This is especially helpful when they are feeding in winter. Sunflower seeds are also high in nutritional value. They are high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals.

Indigo Bunting eating seeds from backyard bird feeder

What do blue buntings drink?

Blue buntings drink very little water. They get most of the fluid they need to stay healthy from the food they eat. However, on the few occasions they do need to drink water, they do appreciate a convenient water source.

A water source, such as a small pond or even a birdbath, will also allow these birds to bathe. This is important for feather maintenance because it removes dirt, makes it easier for the birds to preen and spreads the oils over the feathers, helping them stay water-resistant.

How do I attract indigo buntings to my yard?

Blue buntings can be shy to enter the yard, especially during breeding season, and their habitat is more likely to be grass and weedy areas. Therefore, it is difficult to attract them. However, creating a space that mimics their favorite habitat can help. This includes providing shrub cover and planting favorites such as blackberries, blueberries and elderberries.

The fruits and berries produced by these plants are very tasty to the indigo bunting. They also attract beetles, grasshoppers, cicadas, and aphids that these little birds also love to eat.

Male indigo bunting perched on a bird feeder during the rain

Do indigo buntings use bird feeders?

Blue buntings don’t stay in the yard for very long, but are sometimes attracted, especially during migration. When they do enter the yard, these birds are more attracted to the seeds that fall on the ground than to the bird feeder.

One way to entice buntings to visit your feeders is to offer their favorite foods, such as millet, hulled sunflower seeds, and Nyjer seeds. Caged feeders are also often favored by these birds, as they help keep pesky squirrels away.

blue bunting standing on branch

Indigo Bunting Diet FAQs

Do blue buntings eat safflower seeds?

Safflower seeds are a nutritional addition to the indigo bunting’s diet. They promote health because they are high in fat, fiber and protein.

They might just be little birds, but these buntings are quite capable of nibbling on safflower seeds, and they’ll be happy to do so.

Do blue buntings eat sunflower seeds?

Sunflower seeds are a great source of nutrition for Indigo Bunting. Like many other birds, these buntings prefer to eat shelled sunflower seeds. They are the same seeds as the familiar striped or black oil seeds, but with the inedible outer shell removed.

Shelled sunflower seeds are an excellent source of protein, fat, fiber, and vitamins, making them a valuable addition to a blue bunting’s diet.

Do blue buntings eat suet?

Insects are an integral part of the blue bunting’s diet, especially during the breeding season. Therefore, they also often like to add suet to their daily menu.

The soft suet pieces are especially attractive to these little birds. They also like to eat other food additions, such as mealworms.