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Definition of indigo bunting
indigo bunting
Plural:indigo buntings
indigo bunting Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
7
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
North American A small, seed-eating songbird (Passerina cyanea) in the cardinal family native to North America, renowned for the male's brilliant, vibrant blue plumage during the summer breeding season.
Example
"While hiking along the edge of the brushy pasture, the ornithology students were thrilled to spot a male indigo bunting singing from the highest branch of an oak tree."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From 'indigo', referring to the male's vibrant blue breeding plumage, and 'bunting', a traditional English term for various seed-eating songbirds (of obscure origin, possibly from Middle English 'bounting').
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Indigo bunting. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/indigo bunting