Female/Immature Indigo Bunting

Here's a female or immature Indigo Bunting I met back in July. This is one of those species where the immature birds look very similar to adult females; unless it had an obviously juvenile look or a hint of blue feathering coming in I doubt I'd be able to distinguish between the 2 since both have light earth toned plumage. It sounds like most Indigo Buntings fledge by 4 weeks after being laid as eggs, so July 15 sounds like plenty of time for one born this year to be fairly adult-looking.

A month before I had seen an obvious adult male in the same vicinity; this could be its spouse or offspring.

July 15, 2022 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 221319749, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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