Indigo Buntings in Arizona

Indigo Buntings are summer residents in Arizona, arriving shortly before nesting begins in April and leaving after the young are independent. Riparian areas; increasing. Through the season they feed on caterpillars, grasshoppers and beetles.

Hot Sonoran and Mojave deserts in the south and west, with pine-oak sky islands and the Colorado Plateau rising above 7,000 ft.

Across Arizona, indigo buntings typically nest from April–August. Nest site: cup in dense shrubs near the ground. Females lay 3–4 eggs, incubate for 12–14 days, and young leave the nest after 8–14 days.

Summer highs above 110°F in Phoenix and Tucson make water the single strongest attractant; the July monsoon triggers a second breeding pulse.

• Indigo Buntings don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as black cherry, american elderberry, chokecherry for nest sites.
• Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.

Of the regional native plants we track for Arizona, these 8 provide food or cover indigo buntings use:

Migrates at night by the stars; males sing from utility lines along brushy edges all summer.

• Best foods: Nyjer, Millet, Hulled sunflower.
• In Arizona's summer: offer water and insect foods; natural food is abundant.

Full diet breakdown for indigo buntings · Best feeder for indigo buntings